Kingdom Hearts III
by Sami-Chan0
Summary: The events have lead up to a single battle, one that could tear apart all worlds. The clash of seven lights and thirteen darknesses cannot be avoided. Can our heroes stop the reign of the dark emperor, or be engulfed in the deep, black abyss? (Based off of all games released since DDD.)
1. Chapter 1

**Kingdom Hearts III**

_The clash of light and darkness_

_The inevitable war_

_Tearing worlds apart and scattering hearts_

_It all started with one man_

_A man of absolute darkness_

_His goal is nigh_

_His dreams that will engulf all_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The echoing of footsteps was the only sound heard within the long, bleak hallway, a man in a black cloak hurrying his way to the very end. His shadow cast onto the wall from what little light was outside, his appearance shaded of any detail under his hood. He had a reason for concealing his identity at this moment; he didn't want to look at the cold menacing figure he was about to confront. The ties he had with this man made his heart boil, and made his memories flash in his head like horrifying lighting. The mark on his history burned forever into him from the crackling fire of the superior he now looked up to, and never questioned his motives. Just like he did with a former form of this man.

He stepped up the slightly spiraling stairway, now on top of a large, circular balcony, the bright moon lighting everything that stood here. Here the hooded figure spotted the person he came here to confront, the person's back turned to him. The news he would bring would either throw off the man, or would merely laugh at for it being attempted. He guessed the latter.

His clicking boots were heard by the dark-skinned man, as he soon called out the coat-wearing man approaching him, his voice rasping his concern. "Yes? You didn't come here to give this old man a visit, no doubt, so I can only assume this is something that needed to be brought up to be."

The hooded man was silent for a moment, trying to quickly form the words, even though it was a simple message to give. "Yen Sid has been making actions in response to the future Keyblade War. He has taken one of the Princesses of Heart, Kairi, and is training her to wield a Keyblade herself. Apparently, she has…"

"Yes, yes. I am aware of this." The old man interrupted. "The Princess has had this ability for eleven years now. Or, more appropriately, has had the ability to eventually obtain a Keyblade herself. It figures my former friend would take such a move. I will give him credit for that, as well; train the Princess to wield a Keyblade, so no matter which two options they plan to choose, they can assure they have an advantage of a Princess of Heart being able to defend herself. No doubt this girl is weak, though. She will not be a problem."

The hooded man was not surprised by his knowledge of this, and further proved this when he added more information that what he could have guessed. He thought that by now nothing would surprise him. He was indeed an intelligent man, able to think of solutions in an instant. This problem seemed so minor that his solution was to merely ignore it. But why, since this would truthfully prove troublesome if they did need to collect the Princesses again as Ansem, Seeker of Darkness has in the past? They couldn't use the fairy Maleficent again; as they found out she had her own agenda to accomplish. What it was, even he agreed wouldn't pose a threat to their plans. "I agree, but I thought you would…"

"Before you say anything else, there is no need to be timid around me." The old man said as he now turned to face the cloaked figure. "I know we have had rough times, but there isn't any more need for that. It is water under the bridge. Please, take off your hood and look me in the eye."

The hooded man didn't respond. He was hoping to completely hide his face from him, not wanting to stare into the man's piercing golden eyes directly. Still, he obeyed the man without a single retort, and pushed off his hood to reveal his face. His blue hair was released; flowing down passed his shoulders, and his own gold eyes looking back at the older man's own. "Yes, Master Xehanort."

"Thank you." Xehanort politely responded, though his grin showed he knew he was torturing the man. He didn't need to look at him to know, but his narrowing brows confirmed it anyway. "Now, you need not say anything else. You should know by now that I am able to handle what may come in the future. While I cannot see it, I can at least try to lead it where I want. Speaking of which, there is something I need you to complete. With Kairi becoming a Keyblade Master herself, seven Princesses will be hard to collect should the girl become more of a problem than suspect, and should we go down that route. It never hurt to take precautions, as even I can overlook things carelessly. Even so, there is another alternative for collecting seven. Find her, Isa."

Without any expression on his face, the man responded. "I will."

* * *

"Well done, Kairi." Yen Sid complimented the newly trained Keyblade wielder, a small blush appearing on the girl's face as she flustered slightly. "Not only did you show capabilities of wielding the weapon, but showed to have natural signs of using it to its fullest."

"Congratulations, Kairi!" King Mickey cheered in excitement, happy to see his friend accomplish a normally hard task, as well as their small plan coming into fruition. "I think you did a great job as well. Keep it up, and you'll catch up to Sora and Riku in no time!"

"You really think so?" Kairi responded, her blush growing. "Thank you. That's really encouraging."

"As skilled as you may be, you are, as Mickey suggested, still far behind from becoming a Keyblade Master like Riku. Sora himself has failed his test, despite being just as good as Riku himself. This doesn't mean you never will, but you still have much to learn. At this pace, though, you will be a true Master in the near future."

In the same fashion as Lea, Kairi was trained under the magic of Merlin and the three fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. This way, they could put in a massive amount of training within a span of a few days. This truly worked to their advantage, as it seemed like Kairi was learning new tricks and skills within minutes of what to her were a couple of days. Everyone would definitely keep this advantage in mind for future preference.

The mysterious tower was oddly empty, something Kairi hadn't noticed until taking a look around. She had her attention only on Yen Sid to see how well she was doing so far, and now that she got his response, she wondered were everyone had gone to, since surely at least Sora would be here giving her words of encouragement and praise right now. "Um…were the others not able to make it here?"

"I have sent Riku to Disney Castle to make sure everything is in check, just to be safe Maleficent doesn't pull another trick under our noses as she did during his and Sora's Mark of Mastery. Lea, on the other hand, informed us he was returning to Radiant Garden to take care of "loose ends", as he put it. As for Sora, he has yet to return from where he decided to go. He never said where he'd be, either."

"Gosh. Do you think he's alright?" Mickey asked worriedly.

"I believe so. He has learned now to be more weary after his test." Yen Sid reassured the little king. "I could see the instant he woke up how mature he has grown on the inside, so I am confident that whatever he is doing, he will return when he is done. Sora will not be defeated so easily a second time."

"Did someone mention me?"

Almost on cue, Sora himself casually walked into the room with the three others, his usual wide grin stretched across his face. He was surprised to see Kairi here, however, and became curious why she was here at such an important place. It didn't stop him from running up and hugging his female friend. "Hey, Kairi! I haven't seen you since I left the islands again. Sorry I forgot to come by. You've must've been worried. Did Riku at least come to see you?"

"Yes. He told me you'd be away for a while, so it wasn't like I was completely unaware that you'd be gone for so long. Actually, he's the one who brought me here." Kairi responded, regaining her posture after being knocked slightly off-guard from his random gesture.

"Riku did? What for?" Sora questioned, his curiosity increasing further.

"Just like I have with you and Riku, I am training Kairi to become a Keyblade Master." Yen Sid answered for the girl. "I have told you in the past about Xehanort's ploy to either make 7 Gaurdians of Light clash with 13 Seekers of Darkness or collect seven Princesses of Heart. We have put together that if we make Kairi a skilled wielder of the Keyblade as well, it will be difficult for Xehanort to accomplish both goals."

"You're gonna be a Keyblade Master too!?" Sora exclaimed, flabbergasted by the news. "Wow! That's really awesome to hear this; you, me, _and_ Riku, together fighting bad guys side by side and kicking their rear ends!"

Kairi couldn't help but giggle at the boy being titillated by this news. Although, everything Sora did made her feel happy inside, and surely it was the same for Sora towards her as well. He could make anyone happy, even if they are in the deepest levels of depression. It was his own special charm he had, something not a lot of people possessed. It truly had an effect on her, and she felt it at all times while in his presence.

"Actually, where _is_ Riku at, now that I bring him up?" Sora asked Yen Sid. "Is he doing important Keyblade Master stuff?"

"Riku will return in due time, any minute now, perhaps." Yen Sid answered the questioning boy. "Donald and Goofy as well. When everyone is gathered, I will begin explaining what we all need to do to prepare for Xehanort's threat. I was originally planning to only send out Riku to complete these tasks, but with you here we will be able to move forward much more quickly."

"Oh, man! Can't I get a break for at least a day?" Sora complained, then groaned a little afterwards. "I mean, I know the worlds are in danger and all, but…"

"I allowed you enough time to rest while you were gone, and even let you be gone for as long as you were out of kindness; you should have plenty of rest by now. " Yen Sid firmly stated, something Sora clearly couldn't argue with. "You can at least rest until Riku returns with the others. Afterwards, there will no longer be any fooling around.

"Understood." Sora sighed in defeat, even if the wizard was right with his statement.  
Sora proceeded to tell about his adventures during his Mark of Mastery exam to Kairi, not leaving out one single detail; he told of his adventures with Quasimodo and how he taught him to not trap his heart from others, his time in the musical realm and meeting King Mickey in the past, and how he fell into darkness, but was save by Riku when he entered his dreams for a second time. Kairi, as well, told Sora of her own Keyblade training, even though she knew it wasn't nearly as interesting as his story. Still, he knew he'd listen, and like every word she said. She was glad that they were once again by one another's side, since they weren't with each other for very long after his and Riku's return to the islands. She understood the threat that would effect every world now, but she hoped that one day, this would all be over, and they could finally and officially be by one another's side like they promised numerous times.

Their joy was soon cut short, as they door to the room slowly creaked open, and Riku stepped into the room. "Sorry we're late, we decided to check everything twice to be one-hundred percent sure all of the security was up and running."

"Actually, tripled-checked." Goofy, who came in behind Riku, added. "Donald kept gettin' worried that we were doing everything wrong and decided to do all the stuff himself. Me and Riku here had to wait until he was done to really check everything out."

"And I made everything top notched, too!" Donald barked, now angry that he was not trusted with such an important task.

"Well, you left the King's room unlocked…"

"It slipped my mind! Honest mistake!"

"Now, now, Donald. We have more important things to discuss." Yen Sid interrupted to stop the small argument, earning a huff from the magician as he crossed his arms. "It is good you are all here, as we can finally begin our plan of action."

Everyone lined up in front of Yen Sid's table, their full attention now focused only on him. This was their first step at stopping Master Xehanort once and for all, so they needed to soak in all of the information Yen Sid was about to share. "To begin, Kairi will be staying here until her training is fully complete; if she were to run into any of Xehanort's accomplices with only the knowledge she knows now, she wouldn't stand a chance. It shouldn't take long, however, and she will soon be helping us in within due time. Riku, I want you to go with King Mickey and fetch Lea. Once you bring him back, I will explain in further detail what you three will be doing to aid in our plans. It is a very important step, at that, so you must make haste with this. As for you, Sora, Donald, and Goofy, I want the three of you to travel to as many worlds as you can in search for any activity Xehanort has began. It is without a doubt he has began his first steps before ours, so this is also something of utmost importance. Even the smallest details could be the key to getting the upper hand on him. I will send Merlin to collect you should you be needed for anything else. Am I understood to everybody?"

Everyone simultaneously nodded once at the man, not letting a single word slip his or her minds. Yen Sid could see their determination in all of them, something that gave him hope that they could really pull everything through successfully. "Good. Remember, Xehanort will stop at nothing to forge the X-Blade. Its creation will spell doom for all of us. Even if it is inevitable that it indeed will once again see the light of day, it does not mean it cannot be repealed. It is us that can avoid the catastrophic events it can create, and everyone's lives are weighed on our shoulders. I am putting all of my trust into all of you. I know you will not disappoint. Now go; Xehanort will not wait a single second for us to catch up."


	2. Chapter 2

Just so people are aware, the first three chapters of this story are a month or so apart from one another, so there is some growth between each. I'm not gonna edit them, though, just so people can see that growth. Also, to the ones that care, I do have the first three chapters written out already, I just forgot to put them here. I'm still working on the fourth.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Lea stared up at the towering building before him, holding up his hand above his eyes to block the sun's light from his eyes. The memories of this place stuck to him, no doubt, as it was the very place where his life was changed forever. Once a random boy in the streets hollering his name to everyone, and now possibly one of the saviors of the universe. He doubted he would be chosen as one of the seven lights to fight Xehanort's wrath, considering what he has done to others in the past, particuarly Sora. He didn't want a Keyblade to fight evil, either. He had his own separate, more important task he wanted to set out. No one would like it, either.

"I sure hope this works out." Lea said to himself, now making his way to the large entrance of the facility. He couldn't help but chuckle as he entered inside; Lea remembered a time he convinced his friend Isa to sneak into here, out of curiosity as to what went on in here. Little did they know the guard named Dilan was right there. He grabbed them by the collars of there shirts and threw them out like they weighed nothing. The two of them had some good time together. He wished they hadn't gone away so quickly.

Thinking of Isa now, he was stunned to witness his friend as one of Xehanort's thirteen Darknesses. As loyal as he seemed to Xemnas in the past, it was all a trick to overthrow the powerful being. He never explained why either, but as a friend Lea gladly followed behind. He never liked Xehanort even before he knew anything about him. But to think that he now willingly sided with him, it was questioning, dumbfounding even. Lea liked to think that maybe, by some glimmer of hope, Xehanort forced him to do this. It was the only thought that kept Lea searching for answers. He told himself over and over that he would save his friends. It wasn't only Roxas now; Lea needed to save Isa as well.

He was glad he made more friends now, as they supported him despite his flaws and actions; the boy who was too happy for his own good, the short-tempered magician, the frail yet courageous knight, the king of Disney Castle, everyone. They were able to see through the darkness in his heart, and it was beginning to take affect. Lea didn't like the idea of things getting in the way of his friendships, and could only wish his future goals wouldn't tear them apart.

Lea knew no one would mind him entering without permission, as his times with the scientists here made a mark, some more than others. He had yet to apologize to Even and Ienzo to destroying their Nobody forms so gruesomely, but they didn't seem to care about it, or at least Ienzo didn't. Even wasn't awake the last time he was here, so he wasn't in the position to put words in his mouth. It would be the first thing Lea would probably bring up, to make sure they didn't have anymore bad ties or grudges, if they still lingered. Still, if Ienzo didn't mention anything about it now, he never would.

Finally making it through the small maze of hallways of the massive building, he entered the room where all the planning took place, and where the past ruler of Radiant Garden spent most of his time. He saw Ienzo alone, sitting in the red velvet chair that had been empty for so long. "I see you haven't cleaned up at all when I was gone."

"I'm sorry. I must have failed to see I was a scullery maid." The young scientist said sarcastically, though knew Lea meant no harm with his words. "So, I assume you're back from whatever it is you said you were doing."

"Yeah. It took a while, but I finally got a hold of one of these puppies." Lea said with a small grin stretched across his face. Holding out his hand, a small yet brilliant flash of light formed around it, and in an instant he was gripping a Keyblade. Ienzo was taken aback by this.

"A Keyblade? I shouldn't be surprised that you have one, since you indeed have a strong heart, as proof of your Nobody, but do you really need that? It isn't a toy or a sign of strength."

"Of course I need it." Lea remarked. "It took quite a long time to even get it to appear whenever I want it to. I didn't go through that trouble just to show off."

"Care explaining?" Ienzo implored, urging Lea to reveal what he was clearly keeping to himself.

"It isn't important, or at least it isn't to you." Lea decided to be vague about his responses now if asked about his Keyblade. It was true that the scientist wouldn't find it important, as it was a self-dilemma. It also wasn't hard to explain, but having someone worry about him or trying to convince him to renounce his actions would be too much of a bother. Plus, he didn't want to hear any kind of criticism. He had made his own decisions in the past, and he would surely do so today. "Anyway, how's Dilan and Even doing? They up yet?"

"Indeed they are, but they are still a bit unstable from becoming humans once again, but it isn't a big enough of an issue to deal with." Ienzo answered Lea. "They merely feel a little ill. They should be fine soon."

"That's good to hear, I guess. I actually have a favor to ask you, and Even too." Lea hoped his statement would catch the scientist attention, and judging at how the man looked up at him, he knew he struck his interest. "You remember Xemnas, right? The Nobody of Xehanort and all? Turns out his original self is back just like us, and is planning something pretty nasty."

"And what is it you need us to do?" Ienzo asked questioningly. He didn't have his fighting abilities unlike Lea once returning to normal, so any kind of combat aid would be out of the question. Anything else he would consider.

"If you can, study anything you don't already know about the X-blade, where it came from, how it was made and whatnot. Whatever you can find should suffice. Xehanort plans on summoning it, and that won't be good for any of us."

"Understood. Should be a simple task." Ienzo agreed to do with a nod.

"And also, if you aren't already, see what else you can find out about hearts, more specifically the ones in people. You guess already know so much, but you never know what tidbits you could find in there."

"Why this? I don't know if you are aware, but our very home fell because we went too far with studying the hearts of people!" Ienzo retorted, wondering why Lea would even suggest doing such a dangerous task once again.

"I would think it would be more safe now, since you should learn from your mistakes, right? When you do it again, if you do, just remember what you did wrong and avoid the situation from happening. Got it memorized?"

Ienzo understood what Lea was trying to bring on. But regardless, it was still extremely risky; Ansem the Wise himself said no one would be able to fully understand the heart, no matter how many generations would come to try. Thinking of his former master, and even more his caretaker after his parents disappeared, he now regretted the decision of banishing him from his own home. If he were here now, he would know what to do. Actually, if he were still here the whole time, perhaps none of this would be happening. He couldn't blame the former ruler for anything, however, as it was Xehanort who brought on these unfortunate events.

Lea could see Ienzo's uncertainty in partaking in more experiments, something that made him sigh in pity. "Whatever. I never said you _had _to do it. At least look up about this X-blade thing. I'm sure some story books are laying around Ansem's library somewhere."

Lea had made his request, and prepared to leave now, leaving it up to Ienzo to make the choice of accepting or rejecting his offer. He couldn't say for sure he understood his feelings right now, so Lea just decided to drop the subject until he came back. If he had to, Lea would find out what he needed on his own. At least Yen Sid would appreciate him trying to help better understand what they would be dealing with in the future

Making his way to the front of the castle again, he was surprised to see both Riku and King Mickey were walking his way. Were they looking for him? If so, then obviously the old wizard needed him for something important, perhaps something only he could do.

"Yen Sid?" Lea bluntly said, though doing so with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, and he needs all three of us as soon as possible." Riku confirmed.

"Well, you have good timing then; just got done visiting some old friends of mine." Lea said as he looked back at the towering building for a second, keeping the other half of his reason for being here to himself. "If it's all three of us, it must be a tough tasks he's gonna throw at us. Not that I'm complaining."

"Well, fellas. We better hurry back. Yen Sid is waiting." Mickey said to the both of them, his tone urging about how important it was to return to his master.

Both Riku and Lea nodded, beginning to follow Mickey off of the castle grounds and back to the tower. Lea would follow Yen Sid's orders for now, but there would eventually be a time where he would split off, if things began to slow him down. This was something only he would accept himself doing. He wouldn't be able to redeem himself if he simple let everyone else do things for him. He truly hoped to not fully loose anyone's trust in the process, but for his friends, it would be a sacrifice he would have to risk.

Using his Star Shard, Mickey transported all three of them back to Yen Sid's tower, in front of his desk. Yen Sid was glad to see them, as well, as there was no more time to further delay this urgent task he was about to lie on them. He waited until he had all of their full attention before making a single sound. "You found Lea, it appears. Good, as telling you all this now rather than delaying it further is for the best of all of us. It is apparent that if we only include the Keyblade wielders on our side, we will be two Lights short. Mickey and myself know the location of those two Lights that we need. However, we cannot reach one of them without finding the other. Those two people are Ventus and Aqua, with the latter being needed to obtain the former. We have discovered the unfortunate news that Aqua is within the Realm of Darkness, and has been wandering for more than ten years. Though time moves much more slowly in that realm, the burden and exhaustion of traveling in that world goes at a normal speed, and will exhaust someone not use to its darkness at an alarming rate. Aqua is experiencing this, and has been ever since she entered it, and as a result her light is growing dimmer and dimmer. It is of utmost importance that she is found before she is completely consumed. The three of you are use to the exposure of darkness, so you all will have more of an advantage than anyone else. Aqua herself has been trying he best, most likely, to reject the darkness, and doing so for any longer could spell her doom. Find a way into the Realm of Darkness, and find her as quickly as possible."

"Getting there shouldn't be much of a problem; I'm still able to open Corridors of Darkness, so stepping through one will get us there in no time." Lea stated, feeling rather smart for quickly coming up with such an easy solution.

"That isn't exactly the safest way to go about doing things." Mickey pointed out, stating his concern. "The more you use them, the more stained your heart will be with darkness."

"We're only gonna use it twice; once to get in, once to get out. No big deal."

Mickey accepted the point the man stated, but was still unsure at using such an unsafe way of travel. They were desperate, though, and any way to get to the Realm of Darkness fast would be the most acceptable. After all, any way to get into the realm wasn't a good one. As Lea opened up a portal once seeing Mickey approve of the method, the king looked up at Yen Sid one last time as he allowed Lea and Riku to enter before him. "Don't worry, Master Yen Sid. I'll watch over both of them. We'll save Aqua in no time, and she'll help us stop Xehanort once and for all this time."

"It's been forever since all three of us rode in the Gummi ship!" Sora exclaimed as he lounged on his chair. The memories began to come back once again, from the first time he joined with his two best friends, and what marked his journey to officially begin. Nothing else gave him so much nostalgia like riding in the Gummi ship. He couldn't even remember the even looked at it. He thought it was lost forever from the events of Organization XIII, but with the aid of Yen Sid once again finding it adrift in the cosmos, it safely returned to the three of them.

"This time, don't do anything stupid…again!" Donald firmly stated, still remembering very clearly the many attempts Sora did trying to fly the ship himself, and resulting in them crashing each time.

"It's still nice to have it back, huh?" Goofy said in hopes of avoiding such conflicts from happening right away, picking up at Donald hinting at them. "I'm not sure how we would be able to go places without it."

Yen Sid explained to the trio before their departure that the Lanes Between of the worlds were still open, due to the darkness caused by Xehanort's return, so travel to each one would be relatively easier than before, and would be able to go straight to them instead of figuring out how to unlock each path themselves. This was also a warning at how dangerous the dark being was, and further urged extreme caution.

"So, anything pop up yet?" Sora asked an hour later, having been tired of complete silence for so long. He was disappointed when Donald shook his head. "Darn. Yen Sid didn't say anywhere specific we had to go, just to look for any clues for Xehanort."

"You should know by now that it this takes time." Donald grumbled to the boy, though understood his boredom, as he too wished to find a place to land. He didn't say anything further when the video chat buzzed to life, a few bursts of static happening for a few moments before two familiar operators showed their faces.

"Chip reporting in!" the tiny chipmuck shouted enthusiastically, now prepared to further aid the three on their journey.

"And Dale!" said the other operator. "Sorry for not helping out sooner. We had a bit of trouble getting this thing to work. The wires and whatnot were all jumbled the wrong way."

"I thought you had everything covered, Donald." Sora said to the duck, a grin stretched across his face, knowing that something would be brought regarding anything being out of place at Disney Castle. Donald only chuckled nervously, but quickly pushed the boy away to avoid himself being called out further.

"At least you got it working, right?" Donald asked to further dismiss the incident.

"Yep! And just in time too! Something's coming up on the radar." Chip reported to Donald, who immediately looked out the window. It was only a small dot to them, but it was clear that they would be approaching a world soon. What it would be if it were familiar to them or not, they would find out in the next few minutes. As they drew closer, it became more apparent at what the world would probably contain. On top of the world, there was a white house, something that looked very charming, and was taken care of. On the bottom of the world, a much dirtier, beat-down house resided, being much more sinister compared to the one above. Each world on the outside was a representation of what would truly lie upon entering, but this confused the three as to why this world appeared the way it did.

It didn't stop them from coming closer, as they wouldn't disobey Yen Sid due to their confusion and suspicion. They were ready to head straight on, this being cued when Donald sped up the Gummi ship, and announced, "Prepare for landing!"

Everyone was engulfed in light, this lasting for a few seconds. Sora blinked a few times to regain his slightly blurred vision, a soon sat up to see if his friends made it unharmed. He didn't pay attention to his surroundings just yet; as he made sure Donald and Goofy were with him and hadn't been separated. Both of them were safe and sound, as they two began to rise off of the ground they landed on, which Goofy was the first to point out the odd features of it. "Gawrsh, we landed on a pretty soft spot. No wonder nothing ached this time."

"Now that you mention it, the ground does seem that way. Kinda bouncy too." Sora moved his body slightly, causing him to make the ground move him up and down for a few moments. This was when the three began to soak in the details this world posed; they first took note on where they landed. Where they stood appeared to be a bed, covered and tucked neatly with a blue blanket. There was cowboy figure on it, to add on, with matching pillows. Taking their focus off of the bed, they saw the wallpaper was a lighter blue, with clouds decorating them all. As well, there were several shelves with books, a nightstand accompanied by a lamp that matched well with its surroundings, and other various things on below them that were rather kiddy. Putting everything together, they figured out where they were: in a child's room.

"Looks like we got shrunk." Sora noted as he continued to look around. "It wouldn't be the first time this happened to us, huh?"

"Well, that's just great!" Donald huffed as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "This means it'll take _forever_ to look around here! What are we gonna do about thi-wack!"

Donald was startled by something behind Sora and Goofy, making the two of them turn their bodies quickly in the direction he was looking. There they saw at the edge of the bed a head peaking over, looking at them. The person appeared to be agitated to see them, as them man made a grimace as he pulled himself up onto the bed with them. He had a clear cowboy look on him, but his clothes appeared fake and etched into his body. His skin as well didn't look real at all, and appeared to be made of plastic.

"Don't tell me Andy got more new toys we didn't know about." He grumbled to himself, walking over to them to examine them further. "I guess you guys aren't as popular as the other new toy, since nobody noticed you up here."

"Toys?" Goofy questioned, befuddled when they were addressed as such. "Whaddya mean by that?"

"Don't tell me you don't know you're toys too." The cowboy figure placed his hand on his forehead, appearing to be becoming stressed, or more stressed judging by his speech. "Look, since you guys are new, and don't seem to be as annoying as the other new toy here, I guess I'll cut you three some slack. I'm Woody, and this is our owners, Andy's, room."

Their thoughts were confirmed; they all had indeed shrunk, and were in a boy's room. This world appeared to have living toys that walked and talked like living people, something that reminded of their friend Pinocchio. Keeping this in mind, they all looked at each other, knowing they had to pretend they were also toys to keep it a secret they they were truthfully from another world.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Sora, and this is Donald and Goofy." The boy happily greeted for all of them. "So, why are you so upset? You didn't look very happy to see us."

"There was another toy that came before you guys. 'Buzz Lightyear', as he keeps reminding everybody." Woody explained, mocking the name by changing his tone when saying it. "All the other toys thinks he's so special because he thinks he can fly and whatnot, when in reality he's just made of plastic like the rest of us. He thinks he's an actual space ranger, too."

"Is he a space ranger?" Goofy asked the cowboy, earning huff of annoyance from the toy.

"Of course not! He's just a regular toy! I can't understand why no one can get that in their heads." Woody was clearly resentful of this Buzz Lightyear, jealous in fact. Of what he was bringing on, Woody was the most popular toy of everyone else, and Buzz was slowly taking his place. Sora, Donald and Goofy knew all too well that one way to fall into darkness was constant jealousy, so it was clear that they needed to take action on this situation. However, they needed to hold that off for now, as complete strangers wouldn't be able to do anything, as Woody would most likely not take their advice right now.

"Well, how about showing us to the other toys? They might be happy to see us." Sora suggested, in hopes of taking Woody's mind off of the subject.

"Yeah, that would be real nice…" Woody said quietly, though was picked up by Sora, telling him that his idea backfired, and only served to further make him think about it.

The trio hoped off the bed and followed Woody around the corner. There, they began to see more clearly why Woody disliked Buzz; many others surrounded him, all trying to talk to him at once. He seemed to be standing there proudly, as well, happily answering whatever questions they had for him.

"What does this do?" asked a large green dinosaur as he pressed a red button on Buzz's arm, causing a red light to shine on the ground with a loud and fast beeping noise.

"Don't touch that!" the spaceman warned with concern, jerking his arm away and covering up the button. "That is a very dangerous weapon. It can vaporize anyone in a second!"

"What other neat things do you got in that suit of yours?" curiously asked a potato-shaped toy, Buzz happily explaining the many features his suit apparently had.

"You see what I mean?" Woody said to Sora as he pointed his hand towards the scene. "They're getting excited over things that are only small features of a toy. Eventually, they'll get tired of him and realize how dumb they were being."

"Have you at least given him a chance?" Sora asked Woody. "I mean, he doesn't seem as bad as you said he was."

"Only that he is." Woody retorted, his tone beginning to change once again. "I honestly didn't think it would be all that bad, but now that I see him in action, my mind has been completely made up about him. You can't change my mind, and neither can anybody else. Let's just go meet the others."

Sora sighed worriedly, as his attempt to reach out to Woody even just a little failed. Perhaps Woody just needed time to relax and calm himself down. Maybe after some thinking, his attitude would change towards Buzz. It was the only thing Sora could think to do for now. As the small group made their way towards the larger one, everyone turned their attention towards them, more specifically Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Who're these three, Woody? More new toys?" asked the potato-shaped toy as me walked closer to them. "Can you guys do any neat tricks, too?"

"Well…I guess you could say that." Sora answered, not wanting to reveal their true abilities if it wasn't needed.

"Everyone, this is Sora, Donald and Goofy." Woody revealed to everyone, not sounding very enthusiastic about doing so.

"I'm Mr. Potato Head." The toy in front of them greeted as he pointed to himself. "And them over there is Rex, Hamm, Bo Peep, Slinky, and this really cool guy here is Buzz Lightyear, the coolest toy I've ever met!"

Woody narrowed his eyebrows at the statement, Sora ignoring it for now to properly greet everyone here. "Nice to meet you all."

"I guess we overlooked you when we saw Buzz up on the bed first. Sorry about that." Apologized Slinky as he waddled over to the group a little.

"No big deal." Sora smiled as he put his hands behind his head. "Honest mistake."

"It's nice to meet you and all," Rex suddenly said, sounding nervous with his sentence. "but I must ask; what is that behind you!?"

Everybody turned their attention to where Rex was stating his fright at, and they all spotted little dark creatures with large yellow eyes scurrying their way towards everyone, and there were a large amount of them. The Heartless finally showed themselves in yet another world. Summoning his Keyblade, as well as Donald and Goofy drawing theirs, Sora prepared to extinguish them. "Everyone, run! These guys are dangerous!"

The toys soon scattered to various hiding places, but Buzz Lightyear stayed bravely, and even ran ahead of Sora straight on to fight the Heartless himself. "Stand back, citizen! I have faced much more horrid aliens than these guys. They will be no problem to me."

Buzz extended his arm at one of the Heartless and pressed the button on it, shining his laser light on it. Being that it was only that and nothing more, Buzz became confused rather than frightened when he didn't harm the Heartless at all. "Strange; my laser appears to be defective. No worries, as I am also highly trained with hand-to-hand combat!"

Though a bizarre sight to see, Sora figured the toy was really capable of handling himself, if only serving to distract one of the other many Heartless that threatened the group. Sora focused on the small group that was aiming to harm him first, and swiped his Keyblade at each and making them disappear in a haze of darkness. A Heartless leaped up behind him, intending to gain a sneak attack on the oblivious boy. It was in vain, however, as Donald struck it down with a Thunder spell. Turning around to see the magician's triumphant face, Sora gave him a thumbs-up in thanks for saving him. Goofy himself easily wiped out several Heartless when he threw his shield like a Frisbee, catching it with ease. These kinds of Heartless were nothing to the three, as they have dealt with much worse than these lesser versions. Because of this, the action died down in no time, with only one Heartless left.

"Come at me, scoundrel!" Buzz taunted the Heartless, karate chopping the top of its head. This caused the Heartless to quickly scurry off, seeing its partners defeated by the others and knowing it was no clearly outmatched. Buzz put his arms on his waist in success, a grin stretched across his face. "Shows you right! See? I had everything under control."

"You did a great job." Sora laughed, deciding to let Buzz have his false victory.

"That was amazing!" suddenly exclaimed Rex, all of the other toys joining him in his awe. "How did you do that? Those were some fantastic action moves!"

"Well, I had the help of this." Sora said proudly, holding up the magical weapon for all to see. Sora figured he could pretend his weapon was merely a prop that came with him being a toy, and it worked perfectly. "This is called a Keyblade."

"I never seen anything like it." Stated Bo Peep as she held her hand at her lips in amazement. "It did a good job at getting rid of those monsters."

"And you too Buzz." Mr. Potato Head added on. "I saw you fightin' off those things too with your own neat moves. Sweet stuff there!"

Sora was caught up in the attention when he saw Woody above the crowd off by himself, seeing him more angry and upset than before. Sora could clearly see what he had done; Woody now saw that not only one toy, but two were gaining the attention of everybody, and didn't pay any mind to him whatsoever. It was like he didn't exist to them right now. This was the complete opposite that the boy wanted to happen. Instead of trying to make the toy feel better about Buzz being around, he now felt even more upset now that Sora was now gaining just as much attention. Regaining any balance now would be an even harder task than before.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Being a toy turned out to be harder than expected, or at least pretending to be; the trio stayed in this world for a few days, trying to fix the order of it by having Woody accept and make friends with Buzz Lightyear. There was little success. Sora had a theory that Woody was the one who attracted the Heartless on their first day here, and it would only get worse should they ignore it. The gang's primary mission was to focus on only Xehanort, but Sora just couldn't abandon someone in need. It would be dreadful to see someone who was truthfully a good person be sucked into the darkness they accidentally lead themselves to.

The situation wasn't getting any better, either. As the days went by, Sora, Donald, and Goofy witnessed the theme of the room changing from having Woody-themed blankets and posters to Buzz-themed. It was having a definite effect on the cowboy, and was slowly beginning to become harder to reason with him. Sora was beginning to run out of ideas as to how to clear Woody's mind, and to get him to become more acquainted with Buzz Lightyear and to see that he was only overreacting. Woody wouldn't listen to them, and the more they asked, the more Woody began to ignore them. After all, Sora and the others gained as much popularity as Buzz.

That was the biggest problem they were experiencing. The other was the fact the toys needed to remain motionless each time their owner Andy, or anybody else of normal size, came into the room, as people were apparently not suppose to know toys were actually alive. It was a confusing law of this world, but laws aren't suppose to be broke, as the consequences could be dire. Sora made sure he and his two friends weren't ever noticed by Andy, since Sora's biggest concern with becoming a favorite of Andy's would be knowing he would be heartbroken when the time to leave would come.

Whatever minor thoughts he had were deafened with finding a solution to this world's problem, and decided for now that he would keep an eye on Woody from afar until the right time to once again confront him arrived. When that would be, Sora hoped it would be soon, as it he has been here for longer than they should have been.

"Poor Woody." Sora said aloud to himself, his voice filled with worry. "He's been taking everything so hard, and it's starting to show. He hardly talks to anybody, and he spends most of his time yelling at Buzz. Do you guys think he'll be okay in the end."

"Checkmate." Donald triumphantly shouted at Goofy, moving his chess piece one last time.

"Gawrsh, you're really good at this." Goofy complimented, although this was Donald's only victory out of all their previous rounds of the game. "How about one more game?"

"Guys!"

Donald and Goofy turned their attention to Sora, being oblivious of his words. Goofy scratched his head apologetically. "Sorry, Sora. Didya say somethin'?"

"This is serious, you two!" Sora exclaimed, urging the importance of solving Woody's dilemma. "If we wait too long, it'll be too late to save Woody. He might turn into a Heartless!"

"We haven't forgotten, if that's what you're shouting about." Donald reassured Sora as he waved his hand at him. "Things have been really slow, and no Heartless aside from that first batch haven't appeared in forever. That should mean everything is fine for now."

"Yeah, for now." Sora emphasized. "What happens when they DO start popping up again? We have to act now before it's too late. We aren't staying her for a vacation."

"We know that. There isn't a whole lot to do when you're pretending to be an action figure; everything is bigger than you." Donald wasn't concerned about anything at the moment, but Sora was right about needing to solve this problem that was now on their shoulders. It should be a regular routine by this point, now that the magician thought about it. It was good that they had met Sora, as he was both his and Goofy's motivator. They might have given up their quest to find King Mickey long ago had it not been for Sora being at their side when he was most needed, and that was the entire journey. The same could be said for Donald and Goofy being Sora's motivator as well.

"But you have a point." Donald finally admitted, now helping Goofy put away the chess pieces now that their next goal was set. "Go on ahead and see what Woody is up to. We'll catch up."

Sora nodded to confirm him. He turned around and began walking pass the other toys in the room, noticing a few having some supplies in their hands. They disappeared around the corner of the bed, and came back into few without them. Suspecting these were loyal helpers of Buzz, Sora knew Woody couldn't be that far behind. He went from a quick walk to a light jog as he made his way to the location, and sure enough there was Woody about to begin another argument with Buzz.

Buzz appeared to be trying to repair something, that something looking like a cardboard spaceship. Sora then saw Woody pull him out from underneath it by the small skateboard the space ranger was using to work under the ship. Sora didn't interfere for now, but he would eventually step in if they couldn't, for once, solve their dispute peacefully.

"You listen here, Buzz Lightyear." Woody stated firmly, pointing his finger at Buzz. "You stay away from Andy, do you hear me? No one, especially you, is going to take him away from me."

Buzz had both a confused and an annoyed expression. He was most likely tired of him constantly picking on him and accusing him of false assumptions. "What are you taking about?"

"Are you that blind? Can't you see it? Are you not paying attention to anything?" Woody exclaimed, his voice slowly becoming louder. "Andy is beginning to think you are the better toy, but he's known me longer than you. I want you to stop! Now, do we have to do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

Buzz swung his legs off of the skateboard and quickly stood himself up, and afterwards spun his body to face towards Woody. "Don't even think about it, cowboy."

"Oh yeah, tough guy!?" Woody slapped a button on the side of Buzz's helmet, causing it to retract into his suit. Immediately, Buzz began to choke, and looked like he couldn't breathe. Normally, Sora would've instantly taken action at the scene, but looking at Woody's expression at it took place, he thought otherwise. Woody had a face in a manner that he couldn't believe that Buzz was even doing this, and Sora understood why; they were toys, and toys didn't need to breathe to begin with.

Still, the scene lasted for another few seconds until Buzz realized that he wasn't in danger. He looked puzzled for a moment before standing back up from the ground and glaring at Woody angrily. "How dare you open a spaceman's helmet on an uncharted planet! My eyeballs could have been sucked from their sockets!"

Still glaring at Woody, Buzz summoned his helmet again, with Woody looking at him in astonishment. "Do you really believe that you're _the _Buzz Lightyear? Oh, and I thought it was an act this entire time! Hey look, everybody, it's the real Buzz Lightyear!"

Buzz cocked an eyebrow at him, picking up that the cowboy was clearly making fun of him. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"Oh, of course not. Why would I do such a-Buzz look, an alien!"

"Where?" Buzz spun around, suspecting trouble where Woody pointed, only to here the toy burst into hysterical laughter, clutching his side as he tried to stop himself from laughing too much. Buzz wasn't amused in the slightest. He looked at Woody as he rolled on the floor, and was about to take action on his immaturity, but everyone was interrupted by the sound of more laughter, a more sinister laughter.

Sora took note that everyone around him shuttered in fear, some huddling with others for comfort. Why they were so scared by the sound of this voice wasn't a mystery, as Sora didn't even know who or where the laughter was coming from, yet he too couldn't help but felt uneasy listening to it.

"It's Sid." Sora suddenly heard Slinky announce in a frightened tone, all of the toys now beginning to gather around the window that was above the dresser in the room. Sora, Donald, and Goofy joined them as well, so to see exactly who this character was. Sora himself was expecting to see a truly intimidating person, an appearance to match the voice. While his mind pieced the image in his head, it was quickly ripped apart as he focused his sight at a small backyard, where the other toys were looking. There he saw a boy throwing rocks as an object he couldn't make out, a dog parking at the same object and tied to a leash. They boy did indeed look intimidating, but didn't seem as harmless as everyone was making him out to be by behaving like they were in danger. After all, he looked like a normal kid playing, at first glance.

"Who is it this time?" Mr. Potato Head asked Woody, who was squinting to see if he could make out the object down below.

"I can't tell. Where's Lenny?" Woody asked, requesting the assistance of said toy.

"Right here, Woody." Replied a small, blue pair of binoculars, waddling his way to the cowboy. He picked him up and began to observe with better sight at the scene outside. Once finally finding out the identity of the object down below, Woody voiced his concern. "Oh, no. Not another toy soldier."

"What do you mean? What's he doing to him?" Sora asked, just as much worried as everyone else.

"What's happening up here?" Buzz suddenly asked as well, pushing Sora aside before his question was answered. Woody was reluctant to answer Buzz.

"Nothing that has to do with you, just us toys." Woody grumbled at him, once again looking through the binoculars. Buzz ignored his rejection, taking the binoculars and puling them away from Woody to look through it himself. Scanning the area as well, he too became aware of the situation. "Why is that soldier strapped to an explosive device?"

"That's why. Sid." Woody began to explain, moving his sight to focus on the child below.

"Well, he sure is a hairy fella."

"No, that's Scud, you idiot! _That_ is Sid."

Woody helped Buzz focus from the dog to the boy, which Buzz no seemed to question their fright. "He sure seems like a happy child."

"He's anything but one." Rex chattered as he stepped forward a little. "He tortures toys, just for fun!"

"What!? Why would someone want to do that to anybody!" Sora exclaimed. The pure evil in wanting to harm anything for their own desire just begged for ones heart to be engulfed in darkness. Sora could surely guess that Sid's was stained with it, and at such a young age, as well. Perhaps Sid was beginning to be influenced by Master Xehanort's darkness? This was the only thought that made Sora even have any hope for this kid. Destroying the life on anybody sickened Sora. "Can't we go down there and save that toy?"

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try." Woody said rather sarcastically, having no doubt that the toy was doomed. This surely wasn't the only time they would witness the death of a fellow toy such as themselves.

"He's lighting the fuse!" Lenny suddenly exclaimed, witnessing Sid holding a match up to the rocket tapped on the toy down below. "Hit the deck!"

With a few screams, everyone standing at the windowsill jumped away from it, some covering their heads as a loud explosion was heard. Sora's heart felt like it was stabbed when the noise rang out, guilt of not being able to do anything and sadness knowing that toy was now gone filling it. Everyone lay motionless for a moment, then they all picked themselves up and went to look at the damaged. Sora, looking for any glimmer of hope, tried to see if anything remained from the soldier. Nothing. There was only a small, blackened ditch where the toy once stood.

"He's…gone." Sora whimpered, staring in disbelieve as Sid once again began to laugh once more. "Not even his heart is there."

"His heart?" Mr. Potato Head questioned, finding such a thought strange to bring up as he and the other toys began to sulk off and mourn to themselves. "Of course there is no heart; toys don't got any. We're toys. We're made of nothing by plastic and string. I don't even think Sid has one, now that you mention it."

Sora disregarded the statement, as he knew the toy was wrong. Everything could grow a heart if you gave it time. Even Nobodies had them, as he came to learn. Thinking about it, he felt guilty for helping those Organization XIII members further believe that they did not have anything inside them, and that they were emotionless. It wasn't his fault, as Xemnas was the monster that convinced every single one of them to follow him, in hopes of getting a heart. It made him feel angry knowing they were all deceived, and were taking advantage of to be used for such a horrible plan. Knowing they were just tossed aside as each one fell, Sora at least hoped they were able to regain their normal lives once their Nobodies were slain.

Thought everyone was shook up by the event, they tried to move on with their day. Most likely adding another scar to their minds seeing another fallen victim of Sid's, it was probably hard to not think about it. Still, everyone seemed to be handling it rather well, being used to these events by now. Sora, on the other hand, kept wishing he could have done something, anything, to even give that toy a chance to escape.

Later during the day, Andy had come up to play with his toys, more specifically with Woody and Buzz. This didn't last very long as his mother came up to tell him they were about to go to a place named Pizza Planet, something Andy got excited about. Placing down both of the toys on the dresser, Andy ran out to prepare for the small trip, only to be disappointed when his mother told him he was only allowed to bring one toy once he asked about it. Woody picked up on this quickly, he himself now sitting up with disappointment.

"One toy?" he said to himself quietly. It was obvious whom Andy would pick. Sora down below heard this as well, and knew the inevitable would happen just as much as Woody.

"Why can't Andy bring the both of them? I don't think it would be that much of a problem." Sora asked, looking up at the dresser, unable to see either toy up top.

"Maybe his mom doesn't want him to loose one of them." Goofy theorized. "I'm sure that Andy would be quite upset if he found out one of his favorite toys were to disappear when he came back. It's kinda hard for a kid his age to keep track of two things at once."

"That makes sense. Still, Woody isn't gonna take it well when Buzz gets picked." Sora voiced his uneasiness. "Maybe after this, we'll go talk to him officially. We have to make him understand. C'mon."

The trio began to climb up and make their way to Woody, in hopes of talking some sense into him once everything unfolded. Being chosen to go somewhere outside the house must be a great privilege for any toy, as he rarely seen any of them leave the room. Sora couldn't relate, but being heartbroken once finding out someone has pushed you aside for someone else just because they seem better must feel horrible. Surely, though, Andy still loved Woody, and if he didn't he wouldn't have played with him after getting Buzz, and he was just now playing with the both of them. That could at least tell Woody he still cared.

But would Woody listen? He would try to retort to this by saying the despite that, Andy played with Buzz better, and then point out the change of scenery in the room. Andy even removed all of his drawings of the cowboy and replaced them with ones of Buzz. Sora had to try, or the order here might never get fixed.

As he reached near the top, Sora could now visibly spot Woody. He was holding a green controller of sorts, something he was about to operate. Beside him, a sleeping RC car of the same color slowly started to wake up as his front wheels were beginning to move slightly. "I don't see anything." Buzz called out to Woody, scanning for something behind the dresser.

"He's there, Buzz. Just keep looking." Woody said in a mischievous way, the RC car suddenly springing to life and zooming towards Buzz. Sora was startled, as he quickly put two and two together; Woody was planning to knock Buzz behind the dresser, so once Andy came back he would only find Woody and bring him along for the ride instead. Sora never would have thought the toy would even think about trying to pull out a plan as devious as this. He could only watch from the sidelines, as he wouldn't be able to make it in time.

However, the attempt failed, as Buzz was able to react in time and roll out of the way, causing the RC car to run into the cork board. Several tacks landed around Buzz, but again escaped harm. A chain reaction now began to happen as the board slowly tipped over, bashing into the globe in front of it and causing that to become loose from its hinges. The globe began to roll towards Buzz, making him scurry back to his feet and run away, only to be stopped by a line of pencils. He lost his balance and fell down, though again he avoided any injury as he moved out of the way. As things seemed to be over, the globe rolled passed Woody and hit the lamp that was to the right of him, causing it to swing around. Woody was able to duck, but Buzz was unaware of it and was smacked by it, making him fall out of the open window.

The toys that looked up at this moment gasped and called Buzz's name in shock, including Woody. In only a few seconds, most of them were gathered around the windowsill, looking down in hopes of seeing Buzz fine down below. They only saw a bush, with Buzz out of sight.

They began to panic, and voiced any kind of scenario about the fate of Buzz, the worse one being the possibility that he ended up in Sid's own yard. If that were indeed true, then he needed to definitely be saved before he was seen there. As they jabbered in worried statements, the RC car revved its wheels to gain the attention of everybody, to tell them what really happened. Rex was the first to notice, and called the others to pay attention to the green car. "Look! I think RC is trying to say something."

"What is he saying?" Slinky asked, Mr. Potato Head stepping in to answer.

"He's sayin' this was no accident." Mr. Potato Head said sternly, his eyebrows narrowed. This came as a shock to everybody, several requesting of the toy to further explain. "Buzz didn't fall down by himself. He was pushed…by Woody!"

All of the toys looked over at Woody, who was just as stunned as them when he was accused of this act. He raised his hands up in defense, trying to convince them he didn't do this on purpose. "Now, now, come on. Do you really think I meant to knock him out the window, Potato Head?"

"That's Mr. Potato Head to you, you jealous buffoon!" the toy barked back, not accepting any casual exchange at this moment of time.

"Guys, really. It was an accident. Why can't you believe me?"

Sora stepped in now, trying to save Woody from the rage and to back him up. Even though he saw everything unfold himself, he couldn't let this happen. After all, while he did try to get rid of Buzz, he didn't try to get rid of him permanently. "I believe in Woody. You guys have known Woody for so long, and you know he isn't the type of person to do this kind of thing. There has to be somebody here who still has some faith in him."

"I do!" Slinky announced, only to earn a few glares from the others. Looking for some kind of support, he looked over at Rex. "Right Rex?"

Rex nervously rubbed his hands together, not enjoying the spotlight being put on him. "Um, I, uh…I don't like confrontations."

"It seems to me that Woody just couldn't stand Buzz anymore." Mr. Potato Head began. Sora tried to stop him from going on, being that he would convince the toys that Woody was a true bad guy. He would just ignore Sora with his stubbornness. "He couldn't handle the fact that Andy found a new favorite toy, so you decided to get rid of him. Well, what if he starts to play with me more? You gonna knock me outta the window too?"

"I don't think we should give him the chance." The piggybank Hamm firmly suggested, toys now beginning to gang up on Woody. Sora didn't want to do it, but it was his first reaction; he summoned his Keyblade and stood in front of Woody defensively, determined to make everyone back off. He wouldn't allow friends to hurt friends, no matter the situation.

"I can't believe you guys are going to toss him away like this! You don't even know the truth, and you're ready to believe the first thing that comes to your head!" Sora exclaimed at them. "Can't we all just settle down and figure out what really happened? It isn't fair to accuse someone for something without proof they did it."

"Proof? Woody was the only one up here with Buzz." Mr. Potato Head pointed out. "I think that's all the proof that you need. Unless Buzz himself comes back and tells us what happened, that is the…"

A bigger stir was made as Andy was heard calling to his mother, telling her he was going to fetch Buzz before they left. Everyone scattered into hiding, all except Woody who laid back down where Andy had originally placed him. Sora peaked out to observe the scene and watched what was happening. He didn't want to, as he knew Andy would be devastated after he figured out Buzz was gone. Someone he cared about out of sight, possibly forever. Sora had felt that pain, and was more familiar with it more than he wanted to be. After checking several places around the room, Andy frowned and instead took Woody.

Sora had seen it himself; while Woody did intend to get rid of Buzz, he didn't aim to permanently get rid of him. It really was an accident. He needed to prove that to everyone. But first, he wanted to speak with Woody. "Guys, c'mon. We're going with them."

"How the heck are we suppose to do that?" Donald asked the boy. "We're too small to be fast enough. They'll be gone by the time we get down there."

"Can't you use some magic? I'm sure you have at least one teleportation spell you learned." Sora pleaded the magician.

"Nothing as advanced that will instantly get you where you want. Only a few feet, and it's used for protection. I never used it before, though."

"Then use it now!"

Donald didn't hesitate any longer, swinging his wand into the air now and engulfing him, Sora, and Goofy in a ball of light. They instantly were transferred from the small hiding spot they were huddled in to the hallway outside. There, they heard Andy and his mother downstairs, making final preparations before leaving.

"They haven't officially left yet!" Sora told his friends. "We still have time. We just need to get down the stairs and outside, and we should be fine."

He didn't tell them how they would end up at the bottom of the steps, and simply acted, knowing they would catch on quickly. Running to the base of the railing, he sat down on the part that was jutting out. While a simple pattern for those normal sized, right now it was a perfect way to slide all the way down. Sora had reached the first floor in only a short few seconds, Donald and Goofy following suit. The door was just a crack open, but was wide enough to just barely squeeze through. Someone must have opened it only to go back inside, and thankfully it didn't completely shut.

"Yes! Just a little bit further." Sora grinned.

"Here they come! Hurry!" Goofy announced in a panicked shriek, Andy and his mother being heard heading for the door.

No more time to stall. It was now or never, and never wasn't an option in Sora's eyes. All they needed to do was make it to the car, wait for someone to open one of the doors, and jump in at the perfect time, without being seen or heard. That would be quite a challenge, as jumping in while someone was still staring at the door would surely mean being spotted. No one can be looking at the door when the three of them enter inside the car. It was the best way.

The trio dashed as fast as their legs could carry them, just barely making it under the vehicle and getting out of site as the family behind them exited the house. They waited, keeping a close eye on them as they came closer and began to get themselves situated. Andy hopped inside as his mother prepared to strap in his baby sister, Molly. Sora couldn't find the opening that he needed. Andy's door was closed, and his mother was right in front of the other one. They needed a distraction, maybe, but could they do while so small?

"Excuse me ma'am!" someone suddenly called, causing Sora to whiz around in the direction of the source. It was Goofy, all the way out in the open. He had thought of a plan, apparently, to get the mother away from the door for a short amount of time. It indeed worked, as she turned her body towards Goofy's voice. Even better, she began to walk away from the door! Sora and Donald took this chance to run for it, as this opportunity would last only a few seconds. Sora quickly realized something, however, stopping him in his tracks; Goofy wouldn't make it in time to come with them.

Looking back at him, Sora desperately waved for him to join him, avoiding yelling to not bring Andy's mom back. Goofy merely smiled and motioned Sora to go on without him. It didn't feel good to just abandon his friend, but Goofy was giving them a chance to complete their mission, while sacrificing his own chance to help. This would only be temporary, but Sora didn't feel happy about it either way. Still, he didn't want to ruin Goofy's plan, and jumped into the car to join Donald.

They both hid under the seats, now listening as the door was now shut and the car began to rev on. Goofy was left standing in the now empty driveway, watching as they disappeared out of his sight. He smiled once more, happy to know that his idea didn't go in vain. Now waiting for their return, Goofy proceeded to return to Andy's room with the other toys.

Only a couple minutes later, the car suddenly stopped, Sora and Donald hearing them say they needed to fill the car with more gas before heading any further, the door being left open. This was perfect, as now they could finally talk to Woody and ask about what happened at the bedroom. They hopped up to the backseats, seeing Woody lying there with his hand on his forehead.

"Hey there." Sora greeted, making themselves known. This caused Woody to look up at them, only to look back up at the opened window on the ceiling. He didn't seem pleased to see them.

"Why are you guys here?" Woody groaned. "You aren't making anything better around here ever since you came. You guys aren't nearly as bad as Buzz, but…back at the bedroom; why did you try to defend me? I didn't do anything for you. We hardly know each other."

"I saw what happened." Sora began to explain. "I saw you trying to hit Buzz behind the dresser. While I don't approve of that at all, I did see Buzz get knocked out the window by accident. You wouldn't harm somebody like that, but your thoughts towards Buzz clouded your judgment. I know someone else that allowed himself to be mislead and walk down the wrong path, and it seemed impossible for him to get back on the right one. He was almost taken by the darkness. He did find the right road to travel, with a little bit of my help, but I don't want to see that happen to another friend."

"You really consider me as a friend, even after everything I've said and done?" Woody asked, sounding more relaxed at hearing he finally had someone who believed in him. "Even though the guys back home like you like they do Buzz, they'll think you are trying to cover for me. They're too stubborn to listen. We need Buzz himself to…"

As if on cue, Woody saw Buzz's head peak over the side of the window above, and called out his name in excited relief. Sora was just as surprised to see the toy still alive and well, watching as he joined them all down below. Woody instantly hopped to his feet, thinking he would finally get out of the dilemma he was in, but the look on Buzz's face suggested otherwise.

"You're okay!" Woody shouted with glee as he held his hands out in disbelief. "Oh, thank goodness! I'm saved! All we need to do is go back to the house and tell everyone what happened, and that it was all a huge misunderstanding! Right, Buzz? Pal…buddy?"

"Just so you know, despite your attempt to terminate me, revenge is not something we enforce on my planet." Buzz told Woody as he ignored his cries of relief. That was certainly good news that Buzz was still handling things maturely as usual, Sora thought to himself. Woody himself sighed in hearing this as well, until Buzz pulled him closer to his helmet. "But we're not on my planet, are we?"

In a timid tone, Woody responded with a quiet, "No?"

More quickly than Sora or Donald could react, Buzz tackled Woody out of the opened car, and rolled underneath it in a struggled fight. Sora and Donald followed the brawl, hoping to stop this. Buzz's suit began to make various electronic sounds as the buttons on his suit were pressed. Buzz succeeded in throwing Woody off of him and into a tire, but Woody wasn't finished. He only got back up with already exhausted breath and raised fists, intending to settle their antagonistic battle with one another. Sora stepped in now, holding back Woody as Donald held back Buzz.

"Cut it out, you two!" Donald demanded of the toys.

"Yeah, c'mon! You can't even talk this out?" Sora added.

"What is there to talk about for the toy who stole Andy from me!?" Woody asked in a furious tone.

"I have nothing to say either to the person who tried to get rid of my existence." Buzz continued, only serving to stir up their emotions even more. Everyone suddenly stopped when they heard Andy's voice announce them finally going to Pizza Planet, and the only way inside the car being slammed shut. They had no more time to react as the car began to drive away. Woody desperately called out to Andy and ran for the car, but figured out quickly it would be impossible to catch up. His arms slumped to the side, knowing that they have been abandoned.

Buzz seemed anything but worried, possibly thinking that this was a minor problem with being a space ranger. Sora and Donald felt Woody's pain, however, as they too had no easy way to return to Goofy back at Andy's home.

"How are we…?" Sora couldn't finish his sentence, as things have officially gone from bad to horrible, completely skipping worse. Their Gummi ship was back with Goofy as well, and unless he knew what was going on and where they were, there was no way he could find him. Eventually, Yen Sid might send out Riku or even Axel to return him, but not being able to leave the world wasn't his concern; not being able to help Woody now was.

"Aw, phooey…" Donald groaned slouching down beside Sora. "This really wasn't what we had in mind when we decided to come along and help…"

Woody let his emotions get the best of him again, turning around to glare at the unaware Buzz Lightyear, who was speaking into a fake voice recorder. "Great going, Buzz Lameyear! Now, because of you, we're lost in the middle of nowhere, and Andy moves from his house in two days! This is all your fault!"

"My fault!? Well, if you wouldn't have pushed me out of the window in the first place…!" Buzz instantaneously retorted.

"Oh yeah? If you hadn't showed up in your fancy cardboard box and taken everything important away from me…!"

"Don't you talk to me like that about importance! You jeopardized my entire mission with Star Command!"

"You! Are! A! Toy! You aren't a space ranger fighting evil, you're just a toy, something a child plays with!"

Sora couldn't stand to this worthless arguing to continue further. Nothing was getting resolved by letting their hate for one another grow any more. He was just as upset about being left all alone at a gas station, but he knew by experience to not let his emotions have a negative effect on someone's life, especially his own. He now stood between the two of them, planning to end this violent conversation.

"Both of you knock it off!" Sora exclaimed, getting right to the point. "What do you think screaming your lungs out at one another is going to solve? Nothing! You're both wasting your breath with something so pointless that the only thing you'll end up doing is fighting some more! You two need to _peacefully _work out your problems, and go from there! Now, let's calm down and…"

Sora looked through the space between two gas pumps and saw an old-looking car. It wasn't the car that caught his attention, but more the thing attached to the top of it; it was a white rocket, and in red letters it read…

"Pizza Planet!" Sora suddenly announced, pointing towards the car. "It can lead us to Andy, and them we can go with him and ride back home!"

"Yes! We're saved!" Woody joyfully cheered along with Sora. "C'mon guys, we have no time to loose now!"

"I refuse to tag along with your shenanigans any longer." Buzz said to them, his statement sounding final. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to continue my mission on my own…without any of you."

This wasn't good for neither Woody or Buzz. They needed to convince him to join them quickly, and if they took too long the car would eventually drive away. But what could they say that could make him change his mind?

"Your space ship is at Andy's house." Donald piped up. "You need it to fly back to your planet, right? The only way you can get to it fast is to find Andy, and to get to him you have to come with us and ride to the place Andy went. This car here is the only way to get to him."

Buzz had stopped to listen as soon as Donald mentioned his ship. He raised valid points, as walking back would take much, much longer than it would if something fast (like the car Sora showed everyone) to transport him instead. "I suppose you are correct. In that case, we can't stall any longer."

Sora's friend helped him once again. There wasn't any amount of thanks he could express to both Donald and Goofy to tell them how much he really meant to them. He really would be weak had it not been for the aid of his friends.

All four of them dashed for the car, both Sora and Buzz were preparing to climb up the side of the car and sit in the passenger's seat, while Woody and Donald thought it to be more logical to jump into the back of the car to avoid detection. They had no time to question one another's motives as they suddenly heard the vehicle spring to life, their decisions becoming final as they split up for now.

Sora and Buzz ended up being the ones who picked the right choice, as the entire way to Pizza Planet, the various loose objects in the back ended up sliding all over the place and injuring Woody and Donald. Thankfully for those two, and the high speed the driver was going, the pain didn't last long as the car was parked. Buzz was in awe when he saw the outside feature of the place have a huge rocket, thinking it to be a real one. Unbuckling him and Sora, he slid open the small window leading to the back of the car to check on Woody and Donald.

"Sheriff, strange duck. You two back here?" Buzz called out. He spotted the two clearly dizzy from constant collision with the objects surrounding them, the both of them falling over. "The entrance appears to he heavily guarded. We need to find a way to…"

Before he could finish, both Woody and Donald lifted themselves up, but were covered with empty cups and containers. This sparked an idea from Buzz, suggesting they all disguise themselves with these and wait for the moment of opportunity to arrive to enter inside the building. It was surely the easiest and best plan to get inside.

They waited beside some debris littered around the area, where they were the least suspicious. As someone walked by the automatic doors a few minutes later, all four of them rushed inside, staying in a straight line to avoid any collision with one another and to not get lost. They occasionally stopped when they heard a pair of children walk by, but for the most part they remained undetected by any wandering eyes.

As they made their way to the main area, where the arcade games and prize machines were all lined up, they snuck in between where they were the most dense, only then taking off their disguises. This was when everyone took the chance to see what Pizza Planet was like, and it was no question why Andy was so excited to come here; everything you looked at was full of life, and there was nothing that didn't have something flashy to get one's attention. Even things as simplistic as the drink dispensers were creatively made to grab your interest and simply use it, if not to actually drink the beverage. It looked like a spaceport.

"Wow!" Sora said in awe, observing almost every detail of the place. "If I could, I'd play ALL of these games! I don't think that is even possible, just look at how many things there are to play with."

"We're here to look for Andy." Woody quickly reminded them. "He has to be around here somewhere."

"Oh yeah. I didn't forget…" Sora chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"The sooner the better; this place is too loud." Donald complained.

"There he is!" Woody called to the others, all four of them able to see through the line of arcades and spotting Andy with his mother. "This is perfect! We just have to get him, jump into the basket, and we'll be set."

Buzz had more important things on his mind; now his own pretend ship that was at Andy's seemed to be worthless with the amount of rockets present here. "I have no need to locate your chief anymore; there are rockets here that I can use instead. Surely one of them is in a much better condition than my own."

"Buzz, what are you…" Woody had no time to react as Buzz ran off, he, Sora, and Donald giving chase to him. Buzz didn't know all of these spaceships he was seeing were all merely decorations and designs for the games, but the toy wouldn't believe them.

As they ran, Buzz again stopped to stare in amazement at yet another rocket in the form of a crane machine, only this one caught his eye more than the rest. Just above it, there were flashing letters that said, _"Ready for Launch!"_. Not bothering to look for any passing people and too eager to get inside the machine, he made a dash for it. Woody followed suit, just barely avoiding someone walking by. Buzz climbed in first, and Woody trailed behind.

Sora and Donald had lost them for a few seconds, but managed to find them in time to figure out where they had gone. They, too, were planning to follow behind, only to halt when they seen a sight that instantly spelled eventual trouble. "Sid's here!" Sora cried out. "We have to warn Woody and Buzz. He might end up…"

As Sid walked closer to them, an all too familiar group of enemies showed their dark mugs once again; the Heartless. These creatures had not appeared since their first day in this world, and had almost forgotten about them. Sora couldn't figure out why they had appeared the first time, but he had thought about the possibility that Sid's heart was filled with darkness. With that thought, and the Heartless standing before Sora and Donald, it couldn't have been coincidence for Sid to not attract them.

Questions were held off for now, as the Heartless wouldn't wait for him to compose his thoughts. As swiftly as ever, Sora began to dodge each swipe and reduce some into mere black mists. Donald was able to clear several with his magic. Again, it was like a normal routine for them, second nature even. It was when more powerful versions began to pop up when things started to get slightly rough.

"Sid's darkness is stronger than I thought it would be." Sora said to himself as he stood for only a few moments, sounding almost sad. "Even if he does hurt people for fun, seeing someone as young as him having any kind of darkness just shows that it can effect anybody."

As the last Heartless was struck down, they stopped appearing only due to Sid walking away from them, and right to the prize machine where Woody and Buzz were inside of. There was no way to warn them about him, but they wouldn't have any trouble figuring out the danger they were in.

"We can't do anything now." Sora said to Donald. Although impossible situations have been solved for the boy within only a few short time spans, this time was different. Merely watching, they could only hope that they could remain hidden from Sid. Their wishes were denied, however, as Sora and Donald witnessed both Buzz and Woody being dangled into the air by the electronic claw inside, an excited Sid grabbing them both once they fell into the prize bin.

"Oh no…" Sora uttered. They seemed defeated now, but while Sid had found the two toys, an idea came into Sora's head as he studied what Sid was doing; he was placing them in a bag, something he didn't bother to zip close after placing the newly claimed toys within it.

"Donald, we can run for it and jump into the bag!" Sora quickly informed his friend, who gladly nodded at the boy as the magician tagged along. With just enough time, Sora and Donald joined the two toys inside as Sid prepared to close up his bag, though leaving just enough space to pier outside.

"Woody! Buzz!" Sora said, sighing in relief in being reunited with the two toys.

"Sora? Did Sid find you too?" Woody asked the boy, his teeth chattering in fright.

"No, we came with you guys to make sure you two were safe." Sora explained to him.

"Then I hope you don't mind seeing the light of day then, cuz once we reach Sid's house, we aren't coming back out." Woody muttered as he crossed his arms in an attempt to stop his shivering.

They were all silent the rest of the way, the anticipation of entering the home which belonged to this cruel child not allowing one another to speak. Only when Sid opened the door to his house did they begin to speak again, only instead of words they gasped in terror at what they saw first.

A vicious dog began to bark ferociously at Sid's bag, Sid ordering him to back off and to sit. "Whoa there, Scud." Sid began, now fumbling through his bag, grabbing a squeaky toy he had won as a prize at Pizza Planet. The dog obediently remained still as Sid placed the toy on his snout. Sid counted down, and when he said go, Scud bit into the toy with one swift movement and violently tore into the poor toy, though went out of sight before the group in the bag could determine the fate of the toy.

They had stared with horror at witnessing the annihilation of the toy, only able to remain silent and to sit still. Sora had seen horrible things done to people, but this would be one that would be hard to forget. Sid suddenly shouted for someone named Hanna, which a little girl younger than Sid appeared, holding a doll.

"Did my package come yet?" Sid asked rudely to Hanna, who began to play with the doll's hair.

"I dunno." She quietly answered, in a tone that expressed her disinterest to speak with Sid.

"Whaddya mean you don't know?"

"I don't know."

Being angry at the response, Sid grabbed the doll from Hanna and began to run upstairs, Hanna being heard giving chase and crying out to Sid to give the doll back to her. The boy only ignored her, and soon ran into presumably his bedroom, then slammed it behind him and locked the door. He then heaved the bag onto the bed to leave Sora and the others to watch what Sid would do next.

"He's getting stuff that doctors use." Sora said aloud.

"Time for an…operation." Sid announced in a sinister tone as he reached for a toy that was lying near him. His body blocked their view, but judging by the noises he was making, he was doing something surgical to the toys, and knowing the nature of the boy the result wouldn't be good.

"Oh, Hanna." Sid then called out in a singsong, opening the door to show the girl what he had done. It was a grotesque combination of the doll's body attached to the head of a pterodactyl, something that caused Hanna to scream in horror and then call out to their mother. Sid gave chase to avoid getting into trouble.

The four in the bag were left in silence. They couldn't stay there for long, but they didn't know what possible dangers were within Sid's room. By the amount of disturbing posters and decorations scattered about the bedroom, what they would find down below wouldn't be pleasant.

"We're doomed." Woody squeaked in fear, being the first to brave the chances of being attacked by whatever lied within the depths of the evil boy's sanctuary. "I'm getting out of here."

"Woody, wait!" Sora tried to stop the cowboy from going on, but he was already making his way to the door. The toy jumped up and attempted to open the door again, only to find out it was locked. Sora jumped out after him, Donald and Buzz following.

At the same time as Woody, they stared at the various toys begin to come into view, each shaped into disturbing features and attached to things that clearly wasn't theirs to begin with. They were definitely not Heartless, but just as frightening. Even Buzz stood with his mouth gaping in disbelieve. Woody screamed in terror as be scurried back on the bed and gripped onto Sora. "S-S-S-Soraaa!"

Sid's toys began to gather the pieces of the toys the boy had experimented on, beginning to drag each into various directions. It was unknown what they would do to them, but the possible thoughts were best to be left in the back of their heads.

Woody couldn't take it anymore, crawling his way back to the bag to hide. It was the best idea to avoid being seen by any of them and to get dragged off as well. This was their only protection for now, as anywhere else could spell their doom, it now seemed. It was inevitable that the risk of Sid having their way with them would eventually come. They were in mortal danger.

The toys at Andy's house could only stand at the windowsill as they attempted to search for Buzz, to find some kind of sign that he was okay. They were using a flashlight to help see down below, passing the beam by a bush that began to shuffle. "Buzz! Is that you?" Rex shouted down to the bush, only to be answered by a startled meow of a cat. Frustrated, Rex shouted. "Get out of here Whiskers! You're interrupting the search-and-rescue!"

When the cat was gone, the toys decided to stop for the night, having been searching for Buzz ever since Andy left. "Oh, it's hopeless. Buzz must really be gone for good."

"Don't worry, Rex. You can't give up until you are positive there is no other way." Goofy reassured, trying to lift the spirits of the dinosaur. Goofy was the one who first suggested in looking for Buzz, with the idea of keeping them occupied until Sora returned with Woody. He believed in them, and knew his friends would return with the answers everyone here needed. "Me, Sora, and Donald have been on many adventures together, and every time it looked like we weren't gonna make it, we got out a-okay."

"Just forget it." Mr. Potato Head interrupted the knight, crossing his arms in disapproval. "Why can't we just face the truth that Buzz is history and Woody is the culprit? We've been searching for hours and nothing has turned up. You better be right at your pal Sora going to see what's up, or else I'm…"

All conversations were instantly silenced by the sound of a car, which turned out to be Andy returning home. They had suspected him to come running back in the house, but those thoughts were dashed away when Andy told his mother he couldn't find Woody. Shock filled the toys, not wanting to think of the possible fate of the cowboy.

"Woody's…gone?" Bo Peep whispered in concern, being in complete disbelieve that perhaps Woody ran away to avoid any more conflict regarding Buzz, and that this could possibly prove Woody really did push him out of the window.

"Yah see? I told you he was guilty." Mr. Potato Head said, no surprise in his voice. "He just couldn't handle the consequences and ran off. I betcha Sora helped him out too."

As the toys began to walk away, only three remained; Bo Peep, Slinky, and Goofy were the only ones who still had hope for Woody and Sora. Still, they were upset in learning they were nowhere to be found. "I hope he's okay. Sora too." Slinky voiced his worry.

"We can't give up on them yet." Goofy said confidently despite the situation. "There hasn't been a time where I thought Sora couldn't do something. He's out there still, and I bet yah he found both Woody and Buzz. He'll come back and fix everything."

"I can only wish that you're right for now." Bo Peep spoke in a depressed tone, she and Slinky now walking off with the rest. Goofy stood by himself for a few seconds; he would never think about the possibility that Sora was gone. He wasn't that kind of person. If needed, Goofy would venture out to find the boy himself. It wouldn't matter how many times he would save Sora, as the payment would simply be being reunited with his dear friend.

Sid didn't hesitate to begin playing with his new toys, having shot Buzz with a suction-cup gun and burning Woody's forehead. Sora and Donald had left the bag early in the morning to avoid such injuries. Sora felt guilty in just leaving them, but trying to remain unseen from anybody aside from the toys was one of his main concerns. Neither he nor Donald were toys themselves, so they were unable to coup with the rough handling of being played with.

Sid was thankfully called down for breakfast, allowing them to regroup. Woody worriedly poked at his forehead, which now flashed a tiny black dot. Buzz was pulling off each dart shot at him, each coming off with a loud pop.

"Good going, Sheriff; any normal-minded man would have broke under that torture." Buzz complimented.

"Yeah, gee, thanks." Woody replied sarcastically.

"You two okay?" Donald asked the both of them.

"I'll survive." The cowboy answered first. His eyes widened, seeing something spectacular; in the reflection of the spoon he was using as a mirror, he saw the door was left open! This was their chance to escape, and there was no better time to. "The door, look! We can finally get out of here."

"But we don't know what's out there Woody." Buzz warned. "We shouldn't just rush out."

"You can stay here then. I'm outta h-waaah!" Woody was stopped in his tracks as the toys from last night appeared before them, blocking their only exit. Sora ran in front of him and summoned his Keyblade, while Donald held out his wand.

"Don't make us use this!" Donald warned them all. They were intimidated by them, for some odd reason despite having them outnumbered. As they tried to make their way out the door, the deformed toys inched away from the group until they made it pass them.

"Haha! No dinner for you guys!" Woody mocked as he now ran across the hallway and down the steps. Sora only shook his head, but couldn't blame the toy; he was scared, and just wanted to go home. Sora himself wanted to go back to reunite with Goofy, since by how long they've been away, his friend must be worried about him and Donald.

Sora and the others followed Woody, but once again halted their path when the low rumbling of a sleeping Scud was heard on the steps. Woody was already proceeding to walk slowly back up the stairs, a frightened frown etched on his face. Buzz grabbed the cowboy and pulled him out of view, causing Woody to groan in defeat.

"Come on. Let's find somewhere else to escape." Buzz suggested in a whisper, everyone nodding in agreement. Buzz took the lead now, the group tiptoeing across the hall now. They were all unnerved hearing the beast below them snore loudly; if he was awoken, their lives would be in immediate danger. They seemed to be out of the clear, until Woody's pull string was accidentally caught on the metal railing beside him, causing his voice box to go off.

Scud's eyes snapped open, grunting in alarm. Although in a groggily manner, he walked up the stairs to investigate the sound. "Everyone split up!" Buzz quickly ordered, everyone listening without question. They all ran into four different locations to decrease the chances of every one of them being found. Sora himself ended up in a room filled with pink, this obviously Hanna's room. There was no time to be picky about the surroundings, now scurrying underneath the bed.

Sora hid there for presumably ten minutes, keeping everything, including his own breathing, as silent as possible. One sound could possibly alert the dog out there where he was, and he could possibly corner Sora under the bed. It was very quiet out there, however, as he couldn't even hear the snarling breathes of Scud anymore. Perhaps he finally moved on?

The silence was broken when Hanna called out to her mother, but Sora couldn't make out what she was saying. It was a good idea to remain hidden, though, as the girl began to make her way up the stairs. She walked into her room, talking to somebody, most likely one of her own toys. "You are going to have so much fun here, Mrs. Nesbit!" the girl chirped, placing said toy down at a pretend tea table.

Sora decided to crawl out just enough to remain out of sight, but just enough to see what was going on. Hanna just finished dressing this new doll of hers, only it looked all too familiar to the boy; this "Mrs. Nesbit" was actually Buzz, dressed in clothing clearly made for female toys. While that was a disturbing sight by itself, what really caught his attention was the space ranger was missing an arm, and that arm was lying right in front of him on the table.

"Did Scud get to him?" Sora asked himself, feeling bad to know that could have been Buzz's fate. Aside from that, he didn't seem too badly damaged. No teeth marks that would indicate the dog attacking him.

There wasn't any way to get to Buzz and rescue him. He heard someone outside of her room suddenly call her just a few moments after this thought, as if on cue. Hanna gladly got herself off the floor to find out who it was, which when she was gone Woody ran into the room. Sora joined him to meet Buzz as well.

"Buzz, what happened to you?" Woody voiced his concern, sounding sympathetic towards Buzz for once.

"Gone!" Buzz wailed in despair, quite loudly too. "It's all gone! One moment, you're saving the galaxy, then the next you figure out you are just a shame and begin to drink tea with some headless dolls!"

"I think Buzz had had enough to drink." Sora said to Woody, Buzz's behavior beginning to make him feel weird.

"I am not Buzz anymore! You see this hat? I am Mrs. Nesbit!" Buzz began to laugh almost like a maniac. What in the world could have changed Buzz so much within just a few minutes must have be very traumatizing for the toy. Woody quickly got him back to his right set of mind by removing his helmet and slapping him with his own arm. This caused the space ranger to blink a few times as he came back to reality.

"I'm…I apologize. I'm just a little depressed now, that's all." Buzz managed to say, everyone walking out of Hanna's room. Donald joined them, as he must have sensed the coast was clear, immediately picking up on the situation at hand.

"What happened to your arm?" Donald asked with concern, Woody and Sora wondering the same question.

"I saw something on the TV in that room over there, and I now realize I really am just a toy." Buzz began to explain, his voice being monotone yet very upset. "I tried to test myself out, to see if it was really true. I ended up falling, and here I am. I'm no space ranger. I can't even fly out the window."

"Window." Woody echoed, but in a quizzical way. An idea had struck in his head. He only had to look to his left to look back in Sid's room, and saw something he hadn't realized before; Sid's window was opened, and being that he lived right beside Andy's house, they could easily escape there! "Buzz, that is a great idea! I saw some Christmas lights in the closet over here. We can use those to get back to Andy's house. Sora, go grab them."

"Yessir!" Sora obliged, doing as he was told.

The group ran to the window, Sora, Donald, and Woody helping one another slide it open. Andy's own bedroom window was opened as well, and they could see both Hamm and Mr. Potato Head playing a game. They immediately began calling out to them.

"Son of a building block." Mr. Potato Head said in astonishment. "It's Woody."

"And those other two, Sora and Donald." Hamm added on. "Hey guys, check this out. Woody and the others are here."

The toys began to gather around the window to see for themselves, every one of them happy to see their friends once again. Goofy had pushed through the crowd to get in the front, beginning to wave at Sora and Donald once seeing that his thoughts were confirmed. He didn't doubt for a second that they were harmed. "Heya, fellas! How'd you end up in over there?"

"It's a long story." Woody answered Goofy. "We'll explain everything. Just…here, catch this!"

With the help of Sora, they tossed the Christmas lights over to the other toys, Slinky catching the end with success. "I caught it, Woody!"

"Great! Now just tie in on something and we'll be…"

"I got a better idea." Mr. Potato Head interrupted. "How 'bout we don't."

The toys shouted his name in annoyance, but Mr. Potato Head hadn't forgotten what Woody had done, or what they still thought he did. "You guys clearly don't remember what Woody did to Buzz, it seems. We can't just let him back over here to do it again!"

"No, Buzz it fine!" Sora tried to convince them. "We found him. He's safe as safe can be."

"Don't you try to cover for that criminal, Sora." Mr. Potato Head snapped, shaking the makeshift rope angrily.

"He isn't lying. He's right here." Donald shouted back in the same tone as the toy, getting worked up at his stubbornness. "Why can't you listen for just one sec?"

"Buzz, get up here and give us a hand." Woody called down to the toy, only for him to cleverly toss up his disconnected arm. Buzz only sat down below to sulk in his depression. He wasn't even thinking about going home, only about the life he thought he once had. They were running out of time, so they needed to improvise. Taking Buzz's arm, Woody quickly told Sora and Donald his plan to trick the other toys, just long enough to get Buzz to follow them.

Woody hid the arm he was holding Buzz's with just behind the edge of the window frame, Sora and Donald standing beside him and ready to back him up. "Look guys, it's Buzz." Woody began, now extending the severed arm out enough to have it be convincing, but hidden at just the right amount to not immediately scare them off.

"Hi, fellas. To infinity and beyond!" Woody tried his best to mock Buzz's voice, but while some of them believed the act, the others had a suspicious look upon their faces.

"You look awfully lively there, Buzz." Sora added on, having more than one person pretend to talk to the make-believe Buzz hopefully adding to the act.

"You bet." Woody continued to mimic. "Woody and I are even best buds now."

Woody made the arm hug him, and Woody falsely did so back. Still, even with support, Mr. Potato Head was still not totally convinced. "Wait just a minute. What're you tryin' tah pull?"

"Nothing." Woody shrugged, only to accidentally reveal the arm. The devastation of Woody's mistake hit the three of them like a ton of bricks. There was no way to get back to Andy's room now, not with the other's help. They screamed and gasped in horror, their first happy attitude towards seeing the three now turning into shock and anguish toward the though of Buzz's demise.

"You murder! All of you!" Mr. Potato Head yelled at them, even he not being able to coup with the sick thoughts about Buzz's fate.

"No, it's not what you think! Honest!" Sora desperately told them. "You have to believe us that this is just a big misunderstanding!"

"Save your breath, cretins!" Mr. Potato Head retorted, letting go of the rope and allowing it to fall into the yard below. "I hope Sid blows you all to bits. It'll be the least you guys deserve."

Woody was absolutely devastated as he could only watch his friends begin to walk away, either enraged at him or officially giving up hope on the cowboy. The toy couldn't coup with this, wailing to the last toy that went out of view. All there was left was Goofy, who Woody was confused as to why he decided to stay.

"Why aren't you going, too?" Woody moaned to him in sadness, not wanting his pain to be added to the sheer amount already present.

"Because I believe you." Goofy confidently said. "I'm sure you guys wouldn't hurt Buzz, especially Sora. He wouldn't allow anything bad happen to his friends, and I certainly won't let that happen either. I'm coming over."

"No Goofy. It's too dangerous here." Sora warned, urging Goofy to remain in the safety of Andy's room.

"Not a chance. I'm not gonna sit here let my pals become outcasts." Goofy confidentially stated. "I'm gonna save you guys whether you like it or not."

Sora couldn't help but smile at the knight. Anything Goofy said seemed to never fail at uplifting his heart, and giving him and Donald the confidence they needed. Even at the end of each of their journeys, Goofy was the single bravest one amongst everyone else, and that what was unique about him. "You'd better hurry, then." Sora called back to Goofy.

"You can count on it." Goofy said with a thumbs up, walking out of view to prepare himself for his rescue mission.

The small glimmer of hope that entered their minds was interrupted by noises down below with Buzz. The toys from before caused them, all surrounding Buzz and preparing to do something to him. "Buzz!" Woody shouted to him, jumping down and trying to pull them off. One of them took Buzz's arm away from Woody, who then joined back with the huddle.

Sora and Donald tried to aid Woody, but to no avail as the toys kept getting back in the pile as they were tossed away and constantly shoving them backwards. Eventually, however, they backed off Buzz, revealing that his arm was now fixed. They were all shocked, thinking the toys were attempting to take Buzz away.

"They fixed your arm." Woody muttered. "But why? We saw them take away those other…"

Woody was interrupted as the deformed toys motioned them to look over where they were. Standing amongst them were the two toys Sid mutilated, completely fixed and seeming like nothing happened to them to begin with. Everyone's mouths opened slightly in disbelieve. They had no time to ask any questions about this, as all of them became startled by the sound of Sid's voice.

"Buzz, come on!" Sora said to Buzz, both him and Woody attempting to drag him into safety. They had no time, however, and unfortunately had to leave him in the open. They only hoped Sid would luckily look right passed him.

The boy burst into the room, a large package in hand and exclaiming about how it finally arrived. This must have been something quite special, as Sid didn't stall to rip open the box and pull out the contents inside. It contained a very large firework, labeled _The Big One_. The look on Sid's face expressed his instant desire to set it off. "What am I gonna blow up with this? Maybe that one dumb cowboy doll."

Sora gasped from where he hid, seeing the toy himself underneath a grate and shivering in fear. Woody was smart enough to hold onto the top of the grate as Sid lifted it. The boy was fooled, and soon began to look elsewhere. With Buzz lying in the middle of the floor, Sid stepped on his arm, causing his laser to go off and begin to beep. It instantly caught the little mad man's attention, bending down to pick him up.

Placing the grate on his worktable and putting his toolbox on top of it, Sid fumbled around in it until he found a roll of tape. Woody, have been knocked down by the force of the toolbox, covered himself with a sheet of paper that was fortunate enough to be with him, watching as Sid securely fastened Buzz onto the rocket.

Sora was getting ready to run out there to save Buzz, and at this point didn't care if Sid would see him. Sora would go to almost any length to save his friends. Fortunately, thunder cracked with a boom outside, and a downpour of rain followed behind it. Sid became disappointed that he could not test out his newly delivered explosive, but soon thought about the positives; he could just do it in the morning tomorrow once the rain stopped.

Sid placed Buzz down on the bench, and then set his alarm clock to wake him up as early as possible. He then flopped into his bed, preparing for the event the next day. Sora and Donald waited until they were positive Sid was asleep, then quietly made their way to Woody and Buzz. They first attempted to push the toolbox off of the grate just enough for Woody to escape for quite a few hours, attempting many methods of doing so, but in their current sizes it was far too heavy to do by themselves. They needed an extra person.

"Buzz. Can you come over here?" Sora whispered over the toy. "An extra hand would be useful right about now."

Buzz looked up at the three, a look of despair etched on his face. He sighed, then looked back down at the ground, having absolutely no motivation to even get up. Buzz was still torn over the fact that he really was just a toy, and not the cool, galaxy-traveling space ranger he thought he was in the beginning.

"Please, Buzz." Woody begged the toy, stepping in and trying to coax him to aid the group. "We can't do this with out you. We need your help….I need your help."

"I can't help." Buzz responded after a few moments of silence. "I can't help anybody."

"Of course you can, Buzz." Sora tried to encourage. "If you help us save Woody, we can get that rocket off you and we can return to Andy's house. It'll take no time at all."

"Andy's house, Sid's house…what difference does it make?" Buzz questioned him.

"What do you mean?" Woody asked the toy. "You must not be thinking clearly."

"No Woody." Buzz replied, not able to take any words that were trying to cheer him up. "For the first time I am thinking clearly. You were right all along. I'm just a toy, A stupid, little, insignificant toy."

"That isn't true at all." Sora tried to convince Buzz. "You can't keep thinking so negatively. You just need to look inside yourself, and see what your heart is trying to say to you."

"Yeah right." Buzz said as he slowly shook his head. "Toys don't have hearts. Didn't you hear them from before? We're nothing but artificial action figures and dolls."

"Again, you're wrong." Sora hopped down from the grate and began to walk over to Buzz. They would get nowhere if Buzz kept beating himself up. Sora needed to prove to him that nothing was impossible. "Anything and everything has a heart, no matter where they come from. Andy is waiting for you and Woody to come back home. He's probably upset that he can't find you, and you're just going to sit here? He doesn't like you because you are a space ranger, or because you have a cool laser gun. He likes you because you are his toy."

"But why me? Why can't he pick someone else to play with?"

"Are you kidding me?" Woody suddenly spoke, surprised that Buzz had not picked up at all that Andy had even decorated his own room in honor of Buzz himself. "You are Buzz Lightyear. Any other toy would give up anything to be you. You have wings, you glow in the dark, your suit talks! If that isn't cool enough for someone, then I don't know what is."

Woody's words struck Buzz, finally beginning to push aside the cloud over his head and to soak in what he was saying. He did raise valid points, but was that enough to change his mind completely? He watched as Woody began to slump back to the floor, in a similar fashion as Buzz was sitting in right now. Fishing his words, Woody added, "As of matter of fact, you're too cool. I mean, what kind of chance do I have against you. I'll I have is a pull string. Why would Andy ever want me back when he has you?"

A spark lit the sad thoughts in Buzz's head, as if the friction of Woody's words collided with his mind to set off the realization, and more things became clear; the reason Woody was being antagonistic when they first met was because he was taking away the years of attention from Woody. His owner, Andy, began to favor him over Woody whenever the chance arose. Buzz no longer cared about the cowboy's attempt to get rid of him, and soon began to instead feel guilty for ruining Woody's life within the short few days Buzz was here.

Sora himself could see Woody's change of heart. He was very proud of Woody finally accepting Buzz, and realizing his mistakes. Having the two toys finally warm up to the other was the first thing he needed to do to restore this world's peace and order, and finally that was accomplished.

To add onto this, Woody wasn't finished speaking. "I should be strapped to that rocket, not you. I deserve it more than anybody. Just go on without me. Staying here is the best punishment I can think of."

The kick-start Buzz needed finally came; he wouldn't leave his friend behind to rot in the darkness present in this room. He let go of the grudges he once had towards the cowboy, now motioning Sora to join back with Donald and begin to help push off the toolbox.

"Buzz, what are you doing?" Woody asked him, wondering why he, Sora, and Donald didn't leave him like he requested.

"Sora's right; we can't have Andy wait any longer." Buzz said.

Woody grinned up at them, gladly beginning to help by pushing the grate he was trapped in. They were shortly interrupted by the sound of a truck coming to a stop nearby. Looking out the window, they saw it was the moving truck meant to help pack up everything in Andy's house. Sora informed Woody of it down below. "We don't have much time left. They're getting ready to move everything."

With the extra motivation, everything began to slowly inch off of the worktable. Woody soon had an opening to escape from, and hoped down to the floor. "Alright, you guys. I'm out."

They didn't hear him the first time, and continued to push the toolbox with all of their might. It now began to lean off the edge, Woody's eyes widened as he watched it crash down on him. Sora and the others looked down in concern, and then up to Sid to make sure his sleep was not disturbed. The boy snorted and turned his head, but remained in his slumber. They sighed in relieve, but the alarm clock suddenly went off, causing Sid to slowly sit up. Woody hid down below, and Sora and Donald ran behind something up on the table. Buzz, on the other hand, became motionless again on the table where Sid had left him.

Sid blinked a few times to rid of his tiredness, but was jolted awake when the first thing he saw was Buzz. He swung his feet over the bed and hopped off it, and then grabbed Buzz and ran out of his room. The door was slowly closing, but Woody ran towards it and stopped it with his arm just in time. He looked out to make sure the coast was clear, but Scud snapped his head towards the toy. Woody was forced to shut the door to avoid the dog from getting in.

"How are we getting out now?" Donald asked Woody as he and Sora approached him. He didn't expect an answer.

"I don't know." Woody replied. "Come on, guys, we need to think of something q…"

Sid's toys were beginning to make themselves known once again. They witnessed Sid take away Buzz, and being that they knew what it was like to be in here, he would soon meet his end. They came out to investigate the remaining group and to see if they were alright as well.

"Maybe they can help." Sora suggested. They all disappeared in a flash, not liking the idea of putting themselves in danger.

"No, wait! Come back!" Donald tried to call to them.

"We need your help." Woody then pleaded. "There's a good toy down there, and he's going to be blown to bits if we don't do something, and it's all my fault. He gotta save him, but we need your help. "

The toys could hear the pain in Woody's voice, one by one coming out from hiding. Sora was touched by Woody's words as well. Although the toy already proved that he was now loyal to Buzz, he now was willing to risk his life to get him back. He no longer wished to get rid of him, but now to make sure he stays alive.

One of the toys crawled out from behind the bedpost the group was standing beside. Though unable to make facial expressions, it stared at them in sympathy. It was like it was telling Woody it felt his pain, something that struck him right in its chest. Woody reached out a hand to it, urging this toy and the rest to come out and join him. "Please, he's my friend. He's the best one I'll ever had."

The toys quickly decided what they were going to do; the one near Sora, Donald, and Woody began to tap its metal claw on the bedpost, alerting all of the other toys. It was signaling them to reveal themselves. Each one was ready to do what was needed to save Buzz, filled with confidence that they could pull this off. Sora looked at Woody with a grin, and Woody did the same.

"Thank you, all of you." Woody said as he bent down on one knee. "Now, gather around. We're gonna have to break a few rules, but if everything works out, we'll have Buzz back in no time."

Woody began to layout a makeshift map of the house, telling everyone what his or her jobs will be in order to complete this heist. He pointed at each spot as he told what toy would go where and what they will be doing. "Alright, I need Pumpboy here, and Ducky here. Legs, you're with Ducky. Sora and Donald will help you both through the ventilation shafts until you are over the porch outside. Roller Bob and I don't move until we get the signal. Is everyone clear?"

Everyone confirmed they indeed memorized the plan, now getting into position. Some of the toys positioned themselves at the door, ready to open it once given the okay. They were going to lead Scud away from the door so Woody and some other toys could escape the room, but they had to wait for Sora and his small group to get through the vents.

So far, everything was going as planned. Sora memorized the turns he needed to make, and Donald stayed in the back to make sure no one got lost. A few bangs were heard in the vents aside from their own walking, but figured it as nothing but fans beginning to kick on. A small light was eventually seen, this being the way outside. "There it is. Hurry up and let's…"

Sora was interrupted by more strange noises, only they were now right around the corner. Emerging from the darkness came two yellow eyes, and they were large. It crept towards the group, antennas now visibly feeling the air. It form was now shown; it was a Heartless, but in the shape of a cockroach. It was brown like a normal one, but a large symbol that was etched onto each Emblem Heartless was present across its back. By the looks of it, it didn't plan on letting them by.

"Legs, Ducky, try to find another route." Sora ordered the toys as he summoned his Keyblade. "We'll handle this guy. Woody is going to have to wait for a few minutes."

Ducky saluted his hand at Sora, now leading himself and the other toy back where they came to find another path. When they both were out of site, the cockroach scurried its way towards Sora and headbutted him to the ground. Sora grunted as he tried to push it off, drooling mandibles snapping only inches away from his face. Donald rescued the boy with a fire spell, burning its side and making it screech. From where the fire spell landed, a small stream of smoke was coming of the Heartless. It now went for Donald, the magician casting a few more fireballs in its direction.

The Heartless tried to ward off the pain it was suffering. Lifting its head, it began to spray a haze of dust out if its mouth, causing the vents to be congested. Coughing loudly, Sora called out to Donald. "Where are you? We can't stay here anymore. Forget about the Heart…"

Sora yelped as his back was suddenly collided with the Heartless' head, again pinning it to the ground. It slowly began to lower its head down to Sora, ready to bite into his head. Donald was nowhere to be seen this time, and the dust wasn't helping in giving Sora the proper air he needed to recover his breath.

Sora looked behind him, gripping his Keyblade. For a moment, he flipped it backwards and gripped it in the opposite direction he normally held it in. He swung back, only to have his arm instantly pinned down. Something suddenly whizzed by Sora's vision, looking like a Frisbee. It knocked the Heartless back and stunned it, giving Sora time to figure out where the object had come from. Along with Donald, Goofy came through the dust, a triumphant smile stretched to both of his ears.

"Goofy!" Sora shouted as he tackled his friend into a hug. "How'd you find us?"

"It wasn't easy." Goofy began as he scratched his head. "I've been climbing around in here all morning looking for you guys. I checked just about every room these lead me to. Then I heard some commotion, and here I am."

"We were trying to rescue Buzz." Sora began to explain to Goofy, telling him about the mission they were on. "Woody planned out this big heist to go get Buzz from Sid. This Heartless suddenly came and interrupted us, and we had to think of a plan B. There were other toys with us, but they went another way."

"I think we aughta go back to Woody and tell him what happened then." Goofy suggested, Sora and Donald agreeing. They hurried back before the Heartless recovered from its daze, ready to share the news.

"What are you guys back here? What happened to the other toys?" Woody asked in concern.

"Don't worry." Sora reassured. "We had a bit of trouble, but they'll give us the signal soon."

The plan was slightly changed, but only for the part of who would be going with Woody. Aside from that, everything went as scheduled. The doorbell was suddenly heard, their anticipation ceasing as the door was pulled open. "Now!" Woody shouted.

A toy frog suddenly zoomed out of the room and went down the stairs, Scud giving chase to it. Everyone gathered onto the skateboard-racer man hybrid, Roller Bob, and began to push themselves out into the hall as well. When the doorbell had sounded, Hanna made her way to the front door to see who has rung it, only to find no one. The toy frog raced past her legs, and Scud collided with her, causing the girl to fall over. Ducky and Legs outside managed to get the toy frog and reel back up into the vents in the opening they made, completely avoiding the attention of Hanna. Angry at Scud, Hanna closed the door before he could get back in. One of the obstacles were now gone, and now the toys just needed to get outside.

As the toys were riding along, Sora looked back to make sure nobody was left behind. Instead of seeing that, he saw something they rather should leave behind; the cockroach Heartless was making its way towards the toys, and was catching up.

"Woody!" Sora warned the cowboy. Woody looked back at Sora and instantly saw the Heartless trying to catch them.

"Hurry, hurry! We have an unexpected problem now!" Woody told Roller Bob. The skateboard understood the urgency, and sped up. They went down both sets of stairs, but the Heartless just wouldn't stop. It was like it had an infinite amount of energy, as it showed no signs of slowing down. They were almost outside, and they just needed to make one more turn.

Riding into the kitchen, they saw the one exit they were looking for; the dog door. Roller Bob leaned back, to make sure he would be able to fit through it and not collide with the door. Everyone braced themselves as the door drew closer and closer. Soon, they were all launched outside and into the bushes.

The Heartless, on the other hand, was unable to stop itself in time, hitting the door instead of the toys. Again in a daze, it tried to walk away and escape back into the vents. Sid's mother appeared, however, and saw the cockroach Heartless at her feet. Making a grimace, she said, "Ugh! Disgusting vermin" and crushed it with her foot. As she left, a heart appeared where the cockroach once stood, and began to float up into the sky.

The group looked through the bushes to see what Sid was doing, and thankfully saw him still preparing for the launch. Woody motioned everyone to split up, everyone soon hidden in various areas in the yard. Sora and Woody went towards Buzz, who was more than happy to see them again. "Woody, Sora! What're you…?"

Sora shushed him, not wanting to alert Sid they were here. Once hearing Sid coming back, however, both Woody and Sora laid on the ground motionless. Buzz was confused what they were doing, but remained inanimate as well as Sid came out of the shed he was looking in.

He went to light a match, but stopped once seeing Sora and Woody in the open. Sid was baffled about how Woody could have gone from his room to out here, and he didn't remember bringing him. "How'd you get out here? And what's this toy? Never seen him before. Oh, well. Maybe I'll have a barbeque after this."

Sid placed Woody and Sora on a grill, then went back to Buzz and lit the match he was planning to use before. He held the match near the fuse of the rocket Buzz was tapped to, and began to count down, "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…"

Sid backed off when he heard Woody's voicebox suddenly speak, causing the boy to put out the match and investigate. Sora began to speak too, though his mouth wasn't moving. Sid was baffled at how they could be talking on their own, but didn't think much about them as he picked them up. "They're busted." Sid shrugged as he went to toss them away.

"Who you calling busted, buster?" Woody suddenly snapped before Sid could do so. Startled, Sid slowly turned his head to look at Woody. As he expected, the toys face was motionless, but he didn't think such a line was meant to be in his voicebox. Woody spoke again, his mouth still not moving. "That's right. I'm talking to you, Sid Phillip."

Sid was spooked now, but of course scaring him a little wasn't the idea here. It was to outright terrify him. Sora now played along, his face as motionless as Woody. "We don't like you blowing up toys, Sid. We don't like anything done to harm us toys."

"We?" Sid muttered, not able to figure out how this was happening.

"That's right." Woody confirmed. "Your toys."

This cued other toys surrounding Sid to suddenly come out, some of them neglected and left in the mud, some rising from the ground after being buried, and also the ones that were in the boy's room and helped plan this operation, all of which began to slowly surround Sid to make sure he couldn't escape. The boy was too frightened to move, looking in all directions and horrified seeing that toys were actually alive.

"For now on, you must take care of your toys." Woody said in a sinister tone.

"And if you don't, we'll find out, Sid." Sora finished in with the same speech.

Sid looked down at both Woody and Sora to see them both slowly rotating their heads around, while Woody said the phrase, "We toys can see everythiiiing."

They had succeeded in completely traumatizing Sid. His hands began to tremble, and he began to sweet in fear. He would have nightmares about this event for weeks. He deserved it, though, as for the longest time he had been constantly torturing toys that were actual, living beings. Had these toys not done something, perhaps Sid would move on from toys to bigger things, and his heart would be completely lost in the darkness. That would no longer be the case.

As their heads finished rotating, both Sora and Woody simultaneously uttered with full expressions, "So play nice."

Sid tossed his arms in the air and screeched in sheer horror, causing Woody and Sora to fall to the ground. He ran back into his house as fast as his legs could carry him, being heard crying for his mother. Their mission was a success, and everybody began to cheer. Woody began to compliment everyone at their methods of revealing themselves to Sid.

Donald and Goofy came out and joined them, being that they were needed to stay hidden. When Sora saw Donald, he wrapped his arm around the duck's neck. "That was awesome, Donald! The way you used your magic to make me look like a toy too really did the trick for scaring the pants off Sid."

"Aw, it was easy, really." Donald chuckled.

Things weren't over just yet, as Buzz called out to Woody. He helped him climb up to the platform he was stationed on, and shook his hand to thank him. With this simple gesture, Woody looked down at his other friends. "Thank you, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Without your guy's help, I don't think I'd ever stop messing with Buzz. Thank you for making me realize my mistakes."

"Any time, Woody." Sora responded as he crossed his arms.

"Now make sure you guys stay outta trouble, yah hear? No more fallin' outta windows and pushin' people through them." Goofy requested the two toys, both of them laughing and nodding afterwards.

Both of the toys hopped down of the platform, preparing to head back home. They were startled when Andy was suddenly heard entering his mother's car. "Woody, the van!" Buzz exclaimed to Buzz. Woody tried to tear off the rocket, but it was on too tight. It wasn't important right now, as now the both of them began to run off to a broken part of the fence separating the houses. They came to a stop when they realized Sora, Donald, and Goofy weren't following.

"Aren't you guys coming?" Woody asked the trio.

"We can't." Goofy told the cowboy, though wasn't happy to break the news to them.

"Yeah, we have to go help other people." Sora explained to them. "Go back to Andy, but don't worry; we won't forget you. Not a chance. But before you guys go, tell the others we'll miss them too, and that our hearts will always be connected."

"Of course." Woody said with a smile. "Goodbye, you guys. And thank you again."

Woody and Buzz turned to officially make their leave. As Sora, Donald, and Goofy were waving to them, they suddenly noticed something begin to glow on the back of the rocket Buzz was still strapped to. A keyhole then flashed brilliantly, ready to be locked and to make sure order will stay even after their departure. Sora summoned his Keyblade, and then held it straight at the keyhole. A stream of light beamed its way towards it, and after a few moments a click was heard, followed by the keyhole disappearing.

Another world was now protected from darkness. The group no longer had to worry about this world, as it was now safe. Though sad about leaving yet another set of friends, they knew what their actual quest was. They went to find the Gummi ship, and once finding where they hid it, they zoomed off, their next destination unknown.

It was nice to help worlds in need, but they found nothing about Xehanort's whereabouts here, aside from the presence of darkness. They couldn't waste anymore time. Eventually, the dark being would engulf worlds even with locked keyholes. All of their work in the past will be for nothing, so now they searched for yet another world where darkness may linger. This time, they would focus on the task at hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The darkness hit them instantly, and in such an intense fashion. Their hearts knew where they were, and their hearts didn't like the decision they were making. However, as strongly as the abyss tugged at the group's chests, they resisted. They were all too familiar with this realm, and have gathered the strength to cast away the evils that provoked them so.

Mickey knew this realm the most. He had hunted down his currently owned Keyblade in this place, all to keep the light safe. Even after traveling miles of the narrow and twisting paths of the Realm of Darkness, Mickey couldn't dream of seeing everything here. Riku, as well, walking by the king's side, did not recognize where the corridor had led him, Mickey, and Lea. It was as if each time one would enter the dark realm, it was at a random location each time. Either that, or the darkness was becoming stronger and therefore gaining new forms. Whichever the case, they hoped it wouldn't hinder the process of locating Aqua.

The easiest way to find her, Mickey though to himself, was by reflecting on the wise words she once told the king; follow the hearts, and you'll find the way. Mickey couldn't feel or even find a hint on where Aqua's heart might be. She was too far away from them. The group needed to make haste, as Yen Sid emphasized how the young Master's light was beginning to burn out. More than likely, it will be completely gone soon.

"I'm surprised the Heartless haven't instantly started ganging on us." Lea said aloud as he took a few glances at their surroundings. He couldn't help but admire the faint, blue glow some of the crystals let off, as it was the only relaxing thing in the dark place.

"Just give them time." Riku responded. "I'm sure they're just a little further ahead. Even though there are so many back home, they don't stop forming here for a second."

"And to think we need this place in order to keep balance." King Mickey then added. "If only darkness weren't as bad as it is now, maybe the worlds wouldn't be in the troubles they've went through so many times…"

They walked down the only path available to them, not even any wind to break the silence that was blanketing them. What else could they say to one another? Casual conversation didn't seem appropriate with the task at hand, but it wasn't because it is not needed at the moment; they needed to focus, to stay on their toes. The Realm of Darkness was an unpredictable place. It had more dangers than just the Heartless; the small team could easily get lost in the maze of arching and slithering walkways that was provided for them, and the pulsing darkness all around them could suck them into its cold and devious influence.

The trio was safe for now, and therefore they didn't feel any danger at the moment, but they couldn't let down their guard. Minutes quickly turned to hours for them, and they increasingly became concerned. None of their picked destinations were getting them anywhere. After walking down one path, it would lead to several more, and they would have to stop and carefully pick what they thought was the right way. It was luck–based more than anything, as they couldn't even guess where they would end up next. Everything looked the same to the three, so they couldn't tell if they were going in circles, or if the realm itself was playing with them.

What was the most unsettling was the lack of Heartless, or anybody, at that. The Heartless would have sprung at them within just a few minutes of walking. Everything was eerily quiet, and not even their breaths could cut through it. How could the one place Heartless were born from not have any at all? It was impossible.

They couldn't leave without Aqua, but finding her was definitely becoming more of a challenge now. She had to be here, as surely she didn't know how to escape this place via a corridor. Her heart was too full of light to conjure one. That light might not make it at this pace.

"Aqua sure is good at hide-and-seek." Lea spoke up, trying to lighten the mood, even if it was inappropriate right now. "She _must_ be close now with the miles we've been walking."

"I hope you're right." Mickey sighed. "We can't just give up with how far we've got. I know Aqua would never give up on her friends, so we can't give up on her."

"Where do you think she could be?" Riku asked the king.

"If I had to guess? Somewhere different from where we're at now. Very different" Mickey answered. "She's either looking for a way out now, or waiting for someone to rescue her."

"So, she's a damsel in distress?" Lea joked, chuckling afterwards. "I'd think a Keyblade Master would do more then wait around."

"Well, it's not like she can do anything else." Mickey said. "Maybe she did try to find her way through this place, and just couldn't. I mean, she's been down here for eleven years straight, at least from our view."

"We'll find her." Riku reassured as he bent down on one knee and placed a hand on the king's shoulder. "I know it hasn't been easy so far. We know what this place is like, though; if Aqua has as strong of a heart as you said, then we can make it in time. Remember not too long ago when we thought we lost Sora? We brought him back even after he was put to sleep from the darkness. From Xehanort's darkness, even. If we can pull that off, then we can find Aqua."

"You're right." Mickey said with a nod, more confidence filling his voice. "Come one, fellahs. We can't wait for another moment. She's waiting for us."

With a positive outlook in their minds now, they hurried down the twisting paths again, only this time they didn't think twice about where they would go; they let their hearts guide them, as they should have in the beginning. If Aqua's heart were still down her, then they would be able to find her this way. Their hearts could tell them what they didn't know, even if they couldn't directly here what they had to say. They no longer thought about becoming lost, or even about the Heartless. Aqua was the main priority, and they planned to get to her without hesitation.

"Wait. Do you hear that?" Riku said as he suddenly halted himself, the other two following suit. They stopped breathing in order to catch even a hint of what Riku was trying to show them. After a few moments, the familiar sound of distant waves echoed into their ears.

"Water? Down here?" Lea questioned, narrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"That the place I mentioned before." Mickey said as he turned to the red-haired man. "She can't be that far now."

They took a moment to listen to the sound again, to get a sense of the direction it was coming from. As soon as they pinpointed the location, they set off. Finally, after their seemingly endless traveling, Aqua was now in their grasp. They needed to explain so much to her in a short amount of time, but they were just glad with the possibility of finding her. Not only would she be back after so long, but also they knew they needed Aqua to find Ventus. She was the only one who could.

The path eventually led to what looked like the end of the realm of darkness. The cave-like walls began to narrow down to a single exit, one that felt farther away than it really was. The trio, once seeing this, went from simply walking to running, then sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them. Mickey couldn't wait to see his dear friend's face once again, and even Riku and Lea, who were only told stories of her, became invigorated at becoming close to their goal and getting to see this woman.

As they passed through to the other side of the entrance, a rush of air hit them. They didn't feel relieve straight away, however. The waves were still a distance away, sounding just as quietly as before. They were no longer surrounded by endless darkness, it now seemed, and sand surrounded their feet instead of stone. The stones with glowing blue crystals were still present, but they no longer felt trapped and enclosed by cave walls. The three were thankful to at least feel safer.

The cave they seemed to walk out of looked much smaller than what was really contained within. In fact, it seemed nearly impossible to be able to store what they were seeing not only a few moments before. It was more proof of how the Realm of Darkness could mess with one's mind. Thankfully, Aqua was possibly just ahead.

As the waves became increasingly louder, something else increased in size. Finally, someone's light began to tug at the trio's hearts. It was the sign they've been trying to find this entire time. Mickey knew what Aqua's light was like, and this was definitely it. Yen Sid was also correct about her light becoming dimmer due to the darkness. In fact, Mickey feared that perhaps darkness has begun to seep into her heart. After all, he wasn't able to feel it until how close they were getting.

Soon, they found where the waves were lapping at the shoreline, gently coming up and going back into the endless sea. By far, this was the most welcoming place in the realm. Almost eerily so.

Aqua was nowhere to be seen, however, as now Mickey, Riku and Lea began to look all around for her. Her light was nearby, though, so she had to be close. A voice helped sooth their worries, as somebody called out to just one of the three in the group.

"Mickey?"

The king turned around to the source of the voice, and as suspected, there she was. Aqua was safe and sound, but she was different. Not in a dramatic way, but being down in the dark abyss for so many years was making a physical effect on her; the woman's clothing was tattered and torn from her countless assaults from the Heartless that the group failed to find themselves. An entire sleeve was even completely gone, with several gashes and bruises covering her arm instead. Her eyes were filled with fatigue and weariness, clearly exhausted from the many hours of finding an escape and defending herself. Her hair was now much longer then from the last time Mickey laid eyes on her, showing the lost time of her absence and her isolation from the rest of the worlds. Despite her dramatic appearance, the necklace around her neck, her wayfinder, still tried its best to protect her remaining light.

Aqua didn't care about her appearance to the three, as she was happy to see other people aside from herself, and without another word from anybody, the woman collapsed to her knees and embraced Mickey, crying in joy and happiness and the king wrapped his arms around Aqua to comfort her.

"You're safe now." Mickey said to the sobbing woman.

Aqua released her small grip on the king, looking into his eyes as tears continued to flow down her face. A small smile was stretched on it, no doubt the first time after so long. She tried to stop, but this was all so overwhelming; seeing one of her friends again and now knowing they were okay was the happiest thing to happen to her in a long time. Still, she had questions, which she hoped to be answered as soon as possible. Her face went from joyous to serious in almost an instant.

"Are Terra and Ven okay?" Aqua pleaded to Mickey.

The king didn't want to answer her. He had only bad news to share with Aqua regarding that subject. Aqua deserved to know of their fate more than anybody else, as those two people were most likely whom she was thinking about this entire time. "Well, we actually didn't know where you were until very recently, and even that took us a while. We have no clue where Terra and Ven are, so we searched for you first in hopes that you would have an idea."

Aqua sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, looking down at the ground. She couldn't tell them where they could be now, only where she last saw them. Aqua hoped Ventus was still where she left him, but as for Terra…

Aqua looked up to the other two accompanying Mickey, now wanting a chance to see these two stranger after now focusing on them; Lea didn't stand out to her much, but just by his looks, Aqua could tell Lea was very laid-back, despite being in such a dangerous place. It was like he didn't have a single care, even after seeing such an emotional scene. It was either that, or he was good at hiding his emotions.

Riku, on the other hand, had an immediate impact on her. Aqua could tell they have met before, as his stare was the same as a boy she met long ago. But it couldn't be him. She couldn't have been down in this realm that long, Aqua thought to herself. Standing up and approaching the young man, she placed her palm on his cheek, Riku himself looking confused.

"Is your name Riku, by any chance?" Aqua asked him.

All three were stunned by, to them, what was an amazing guess regarding Riku's identity. "Y-yes." The boy answered in bewilderment, trying to figure out how she knew him.

Aqua still remembered, however, her brief time on the islands she once traveled to. The one with the star-shaped fruit her wayfinder was based on. The last time she had seen Riku, he was just a little boy. Sora was with him, as well, and it was when she asked Sora to protect Riku, no matter what. He had kept his promise, as now Riku was here to save her along with Mickey and Lea. But she needed to know a question she had been dying to know.

"How long have I been down here?" Aqua asked as she turned to Mickey.

Again, Mickey lowered his head a little before answering. "For longer then you probably think. About eleven years or so."

"That long? That can't be…" Aqua was aware that she was absent from the Realm of Light for longer than she wished to be, but it felt much shorter then eleven entire years. What had happened while she was gone? A mysterious man told Aqua when she first came to this beach about the perils the worlds have had to deal with, and about the boy who had saved them more than once; Sora. Even now, that name gave her the hope she needed to survive. She was glad to know that everyone would be safe with his help, but that led to yet another question; where was Sora?

"I'm glad to see all three of you here to save me, but someone told be about another boy would come here instead. Sora was his name. Where is he?"

"Sora's safe, if that's what you're wondering." Mickey told Aqua. "He's actually the one who helped us find out you were in trouble. How do you know him too?"

"Someone else was down here with me for a little while, a man in a black cloak." Aqua answered. "He helped me not feel alone down here, but one day, he said he needed to leave. I don't know where he went, and he didn't tell me, either."

"Black cloaks aren't exactly a good sign nowadays." Lea spoke up. "I mean, I know I'm wearing one now, but no need to be scared of me."

"Did he at least say who he was?" Mickey then asked. Aqua shook her head.

"No. I never saw his face, either. His hood always kept it hidden."

Mickey understood. The king would have to cut short their conversation, as now since they've achieved their task at locating Aqua, they needed to bring her back as soon as possible.

"Actually, Aqua, we didn't come down here just to rescue you." The king began, earning the woman's full attention. "We need your help, and badly too. I don't want to tell you this, but…Xehanort is back."

Aqua could feel her legs becoming weak, with Riku needing to catch her before she completely collapsed to the ground. She couldn't find the strength to stand up again, so Riku helped her to gently sit in the sand. Aqua's hands slipped up to her face to cover her mouth. She had hoped Terra had won his internal battle with Xehanort, back when she sacrificed herself in order to save him. Her fears were now realized, as now it seemed like her friend wasn't strong enough to repel him.

Mickey continued on, as even if he wanted to spare her the details, it was required if he wanted her to understand the situation and to help them. "We've stopped different forms of Xehanort quite a few times while you were gone, but it turns out it was all planned out to this point. He wants to create the X-Blade again, only this time he knows the proper way to do it. You see, he needs seven hearts of light and thirteen seekers of darkness in order for his plan to work."

"Do you plan on fighting him? You can't do that knowing what will happen!" Aqua implored.

"We don't have a choice." Mickey said, turning his head away from Aqua's stare. "If we just sit back and don't do anything, Xehanort will just go and collect the seven Princesses of Heart, and it would work out just the same way. We have one of the Princesses on our side now, but we don't know everything Xehanort has planned so far. We put together that if we fight Xehanort and his thirteen darknesses, Organization XIII, then we can at least try to stop him after he has what he wants. He himself said he doesn't know what will happen afterwards, so that's our one and only chance to defeat him for good."

"Has he…has he collected thirteen darknesses?" Aqua asked.

"Not yet." Mickey answered. "Sora was almost the thirteenth one, but we saved him in time. That doesn't matter, though, as he'll get his thirteen regardless of what happens. The same goes for us, too. It's fate. The only problem is we're having a bit of trouble getting seven lights. So far, we only have four. We need you to make five."

Aqua was still trying to wrap her thoughts around everything that was being thrown at her. It more felt like boulders were pelting her. Despite everything they have done, Aqua and her friends weren't able to get rid of Xehanort. Even the cost of her dear Master wasn't enough to quell Xehanort's darkness. Now the man was back, as if nothing had happened. Even with the turmoil she and everyone would have to deal with, Aqua couldn't back down from Mickey's request. She needed to stand up and face her fears not only as the woman who her friends were counting on, but also as the Keyblade Master who Eraqus had counted on to protect them.

Aqua was now able to move her legs again. She stood up slowly, but she was sure to not fall back down. Nothing would make her fall from this point on. People would be counting on her. Without another word, Aqua gladly nodded at Mickey, confirming that she would join the seven lights.

"Thank you, Aqua." Mickey said with a smile. "This means a lot to everybody. Now let's get going; Master Yen Sid is waiting for us to come back with you."

This was when a chill filled everyone's spin. It was so sudden and startling that it caught everyone by surprise and froze the group in their place, preventing them from moving on. Despite this, everyone seemed to turn to one specific direction all at once, as if something was forcing them to. About several yards from their position stood a hooded figure in a black cloak. Perhaps it was the man Aqua described from before?

The person was slowly making their way to them, with a constant black aura radiating off of them. The figure was masculine in shape, but that was far from enough to tell who it could be. The only thing known was the obvious; this man was here for the group, intending to make them stay.

Four keyblades flashed into each of the group's hands, ready for whatever would happen next. It was terrifying to see the flow of darkness come off of the cloaked man, as if he was generating a constant supply of it like factory smoke. It was four against one, so the four Keyblade wielders felt that much safer to face this man. They hoped this wasn't just optimistic-thinking.

"He's probably one of the people Xehanort has on his side." Mickey stated as he narrowed his eyes.

"His darkness is so strong." Aqua said quietly. "It's almost as strong as Xehanort's darkness."

"Almost is the key word there." Lea smirked. "As long as it isn't _just_ like the old man's, it shouldn't be too bad, right?"

"We can't underestimate any of them." Riku warned. "Remember; each person of the Organization has a piece of Xehanort in them, so we're technically about to fight him now, just with someone else's body."

"Only if Xehanort wants to be." Lea said hopefully. "Maybe he isn't in this guy, since Aqua here said he has darkness _almost_ like Xehanort's, like I just said."

"Xehanort or not, we can take him." Mickey said confidently.

The man kept walking towards them until he was several paces away from the group, which then he simply stood there. Though they couldn't see them, they felt the figure's eyes staring at each of their own. No one could figure out why he would just stop without reason. It could be that he was trying to intimidate them, or for the four to make the first move. No one dared move before the other due to these thought.

Lea eventually was the first to speak up, going from a stern position to having a confused look. "So, is he gonna…"

A hand that suddenly gripped his neck silenced Lea. No one saw it with their naked eyes, but the man had went from his previous position to having a vice grip on poor Lea, who ended up dropping his keyblade in favor of trying to claw the steel hands from his neck. He was quickly losing air.

Nobody hesitated to help, as Riku was the first to attempt to save Lea. Aiming for the figure's head, he swung his keyblade with full force. The arm not being used by the person blocked the assault, which then pushed Riku away with great force. A burning pain suddenly enveloped the man's hand, causing him to jerk it away from Lea and take a step back.

Lea grinned as he picked up his keyblade, feeling accomplished at saving his own life. "Heh! Is that all it takes f-whoa!"

Lea needed to think fast with the fists now punching into the air straight at him. Each time, the red-haired man could feel the force of each attack just barely miss him. Lea was even surprised with himself that he was even managing to dodge any of the man's attacks. Lea thought he would have been knocked out cold in an instant. He was beginning to think he and the others overestimated him instead of the other way around.

Lea was given a break as Mickey tried to get the cloaked figure from above, only from the man to disappear just as quickly as he did before. The man now aimed for Aqua, who reacted quickly and ended up making the man have to block with both of his arms in order to avoid injury. He then threw his arms down and caused a burst of wind to slide Aqua backwards to Mickey and Lea. Holding up his palm, the cloaked figure conjured a black orb and released it into several smaller orbs, all of which aimed for the three. Riku had to hurry and shield them with his own darkness abilities, having made a quick recovery from before.

Within just a few seconds, the man was able to overwhelm them all. He was fast, and he didn't let them touch him once. If this were only one of the twelve other darknesses Xehanort has found, what would the others be like? Already Xehanort had Ansem and Xemnas on his side, which them alone took two entire journeys to defeat before. To imagine that each member were just as strong was the scariest thing right now.

The man once again stood there, and seemed to relax a bit. It was like he no longer saw a threat in front of him anymore. More so, the aura around the hooded figure began to dissipate until it was completely gone. A few seconds afterwards, the first Heartless Mickey, Riku, and Lea had seen since they first entered the Realm of Darkness appeared in front of the man, as if a switch was set off that triggered them to return, one that the Organization member had pressed.

The figure made his exit through a portal that had formed behind him, with the Heartless now the threat to worry about. They were easily dispatched, but the worry of the man still remained in their minds.

"Who the hell was that guy?" Lea asked more to himself rather than the others.

"Did anyone else notice something odd?" Riku then said himself, ignoring Lea's question for now.

"Yeah, I did Riku." Mickey nodded. "We haven't seen any Heartless here until he went away, or at least until the darkness around him did. It looked like he was suppressing them from popping up all over the place. Maybe he was following us, and that's why we never saw the Heartless while trying to find Aqua."

"How is that possible?" Aqua asked the king, baffled by this realization.

"I dunno, but with Xehanort influencing each Organization XIII member, maybe his heart was just so full of darkness, he could do more than just make the Heartless appear when he wanted, but also to keep them away."

"Why would he do that while we were searching for Aqua?" Riku then asked in suspicion. "Assuming that he didn't want us to find Aqua, he could've bombarded us with constant Heartless attacks instead of us just walking around without any trouble."

"It wouldn't make any sense if that guy didn't want us to find Aqua, as Xehanort said each side would find their members no matter what." Mickey pointed out. "Maybe they didn't want us to find Aqua specifically, but I can't tell for sure. What I do know is we need to let it go for now and get back to Yen Sid. He's probably expecting us to come back soon."

"Sounds as good of an idea as any." Lea agreed. "I'm getting a bit tired of the gloomy atmosphere here, and I bet Aqua wants to leave more than anybody else."

Lea gladly opened a corridor leading back to the tower, but Aqua seemed hesitant to walk through it. The three others quickly noticed this, and tried to get her to move along. It wasn't the worry of the corridor itself, but the person who made it.

"You can use the darkness?" Aqua questioned Lea.

"What's wrong with that." Lea asked in return as he crossed his arms.

"Don't worry, Aqua. You can trust him, if that's what's on your mind." Mickey reassured. "Lea has helped us a lot in the past. Riku here can use the darkness, too, and you can definitely count on him as well."

Aqua wasn't entirely convinced. Being in the Realm of Darkness for so long has increased her negative attitude towards darkness than before. Master Eraqus had always told her time and time again that darkness was never a good thing, even if it was needed to keep the worlds balanced, and there was nothing down here that could have convinced her otherwise. It was because of Terra, most of all, that made her mind think about how darkness was able to ruin everything, so learning that two allies had control over it gave her an uneasy feeling. For now, she would trust the king, but Aqua would be sure to confront Mickey about this later.

The group walked through the portal and now stood in front of the entranceway of the tower where Yen Sid awaited for them at the top. They didn't say anything to one another as they walked up the twisting and confusing staircases inside until they reached Yen Sid himself, whose face lit up upon seeing Aqua safe and sound. "My dear girl. You do not know how many worries have lifted off of my shoulders seeing you once again. I assume you were told about our current dilemma?"

"Yes I have, sir." Aqua responded with a light bow. "It's very nice to see you again, too."

"I'm sure it is." Yen Sid said with a small smile. "Now, you probably want to know what you can do to help, but know that after being in the Realm of Darkness for so long, I sense your light isn't glowing as brightly from our last meeting. I'm afraid you will have to step aside for the time being."

"I understand, but please tell me what it is you need me for." Aqua urged to Yen Sid, eager to lend a helping hand. "I will do anything to help."

"For now, knowing that you are alive and well is enough to help, as now our side is that much stronger than before." Yen Sid reassured the woman. "You should rest and clean yourself up; I can tell just by looking at your attire that you must be exhausted."

Aqua couldn't disagree with Yen Sid. Even if her words spoke otherwise, she was in dire need of sleep, as she wasn't given enough rest by the Heartless. Aqua had not realized it herself yet, but looking down at herself, she saw her terrible condition. She didn't want to do anything while everyone else was helping. Aqua has been gone long enough, and now she wanted to make up for lost time.

"Please, Yen Sid." Aqua begged. "You have to let me do _something_."

"I'm afraid I must refuse." Yen Sid said. "In due time, you will be needed to locate Ventus and Terra, if you have any information to share. You must stand down, however, until you have rested and fully recovered."

"Actually, I do know where Ven is." Aqua said. "I remember bringing him back home, and seeing it being consumed with darkness. It was so terrifying seeing our own home being destroyed. That was when I remembered something Master Eraqus had told me, in order to protect it. It was something that would change our home, something Master Eraqus said only I would be able to figure out the mystery to. It's where I left Ven to rest."

"Castle Oblivion." Yen Sid said quizzically as he stroked his beard. "I, too, know of that secret; a castle where anyone who enters it will be lost into oblivion, as the name suggest. In that case, Ventus is no doubt still safe. That place is designed to only allow its creator to be able to find their way through its hallways, and since that person is you, you are the only one who can return Ventus to us. If he is still asleep, then we can wake him up once again."

"You can?" Aqua asked in excitement. "How? I'll go get him now if that really…"

"I know you are eager to fetch Ventus, but as I said before, your light needs to recover first."

"But why?"

"You may not realize it, but you are much weaker than before due to your constant exposure to the darkness." Yen Sid began. "I wouldn't be surprised if there is darkness in your heart now. In case you haven't been told already, Xehanort is short one member. If he or any of his other accomplices discovers you in the state your light is in now, they may use that to their advantage and try to use you as their thirteenth member. Staying with me is for the benefit of your safety."

Aqua sulked, but understood Yen Sid's concern. If it were for the best, then she would gladly stay with him. He knew what was best for everybody, so anything he said had truth behind it. Knowing this, Aqua nodded. "Yes, Master Yen Sid"

"I'm glad you understand." Yen Sid said, then turned his attention to Mickey, Riku, and Lea. "I thank you three greatly for returning Aqua. This means we need only two more lights in order to have the required number to face Xehanort. We know for sure who the next shall be now, and once retrieving and awakening Ventus, that leaves just one more left. If we cannot find Terra within that time span, then I'm afraid we will need to look for an alternative."

"You mean you don't even have a thought about where he could be?" Aqua asked Yen Sid, not liking the idea of dismissing a search for her friend.

"I do have an idea, but it isn't a pleasant one." Yen Sid sighed. "Terra was last seen with Xehanort by all of us, for he could very well be with him still. I am not entirely sure, however, since even that is a guess about his whereabouts. For now, we should not worry about it until the time comes to look for him."

"Why can't Mickey and the others here go look for him like they did me?" Aqua suggested, aggression now entering her tone. "We can't just leave my friend out there with the possibility of Xehanort having him under his control."

"I understand your strife about the situation." Yen Sid said as he remained calm. "We simply can't…"

"Actually, I don't think you understand." Aqua snapped. "I've been trapped for years down in the dark, all by myself. I had to fend off the darkness every day to prevent my heart from being consumed. I almost lost hope for myself, and now that I'm back, you can't just tell me that it could be hopeless to find Terra and that we're tossing him aside in favor of someone else! You have no clue what it's like to have your friends taken away from you!"

Yen Sid slammed his hands on the table and stood up, intending to stop this pointless arguing. "I believe Eraqus would have something to say to that! Have you forgotten about his fate!?"

Aqua had forgotten about Yen Sid's past with Eraqus. They were both Keyblade Masters alongside one another in their youths, and knew each other well. It must have been just as painful to learn of Eraqus' demise to Yen Sid just as much as Aqua herself. Feeling ashamed and thoughtless, Aqua looked away from Yen Sid as her eyes began to water.

Yen Sid sighed as he sat down and closed him eyes, he himself not feeling proud for letting his own anger get the best of him. "We will find Terra with time, but you must be patient."

Aqua couldn't respond, as a lump formed in her throat, which refused to let her utter any noise. Merryweather, one of the three fairies who help Yen Sid, came into the room with very important news. "Oh, Yen Sid! It is time!"

"Wonderful. Bring her in immediately." Yen Sid requested, causing the fairy to scurry off.

The fairy came back a few minutes later, this time with somebody following behind. Just like Riku, Aqua was able to instantly figure out who this girl was. It was the same pure light she felt with their first meeting, and just like Riku as well, she couldn't grasp how much she has changed. She was no longer the adorable and innocent little girl she rescued before. Aqua was now looking at someone much more mature, though with some of her charm from before being present. Regardless, it was like staring at a different person entirely. Most shocking of all, Aqua saw, was what she was holding: a Keyblade.

"Are you now prepared for the task at hand?" Yen Sid said to the girl. "I would warn you about the dangers currently present within the worlds, but I'm sure your training will not be squandered. I hope, though, that you are now set to depart, Kairi."

Kairi nodded once. She didn't want to be the one to sit around and do nothing no longer. She was prepared for what the future had to throw at her. "I'm ready."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

His foot tapped on the ground rapidly, Lea crossing his arms and beginning to make a slight grimace. He was standing for longer than he wanted to be. Lea had to lean against the wall in order to keep his legs from becoming tired. How long has been since she disappeared was something the man could only hope to guess, but Lea thought about leaving without her. If it took her this long just to put on some clothing, then seeing her out in the field would be quite interesting. Hopefully she was quicker at defeating her foes then she was stylizing herself.

Lea was at least thankful that they both knew how to use the Keyblade, if not exactly at its fullest for the time being. Lea was still rusty with it, so calling her out on her skills would make him a hypocrite. Despite such vigorous and exhausting training, Lea wasn't able to use his own Keyblade as well as, for example, Sora. In his defense, Lea had been using chakrams for fighting within the past few years. Handling the Keyblade was foreign to Lea.

With his patience about to flow over his edge, he caught someone's movement from the corner of his eye, tilting his head towards the direction. He sighed in relieve seeing who had finally come back. "Man, it's about time. I dunno what it is with women, but every one I've ever known seems to be obsessed with looking their best. Are you sure you got everything all zipped and adjusted, Kairi?"

Lea flinched as a hand collided with his shoulder, making him rub it afterwards. "Well, geez. I was just joking. You do look quite swanky, more than usual."

Kairi's outfit was now different then before; though less revealing, such an appearance wasn't going to be appropriate for where the two would be heading. White jeans now covered her legs, which moved wherever her skin did but not in an uncomfortable way. To accompany this, her dress was replaced by a leather, pink vest, having two large pockets on each side and zipped a third of the way. Her halter top remained from her previous set of clothing. Kairi's shoes were also replaced, with white boots covering her feet instead with a black underlining, being halfway to reaching her knees. As well, her good luck charm now hung around her neck, tucked underneath her vest.

"What's with the flattery?" Kairi asked Lea, looking at him with suspicious eyes.

"Nothing. Figured I'd try to play nice with you this time," Lea answered, chuckling lightly.

Kairi still remembered what Lea had done to her; while Sora saw the good in Lea's heart, and witnessed for himself how helpful and thoughtful he could be (when he chose to), Kairi had not seen or heard anything about Lea since he had kidnapped her. Despite Yen Sid's request to let go of her grudge, it didn't help her feel more comfortable around Lea.

"Besides, Yen Sid told me to make sure you don't get into trouble while you're out exploring," Lea then added. "Whatever it is you're actually doing."

"I'm supposed to be finding anything on Xehanort like Sora is right now." Kairi bluntly explained.

"Really? He's throwing a tough thing like that at you already?" Lea said as he scratched his head. "I mean, I know we're kinda desperate and all, but…"

Lea stopped himself once seeing Kairi's eyes narrow. He didn't want to get on this girl's bad side. Lea figured that he may not be able to see the normally kindhearted side if he kept up this up. Sighing, he moved onto another subject. "So how are we gonna start our world-jumping? We don't have a Gummi ship to use ourselves."

To answer Lea's question, Kairi reached into one of the pockets of her vest, pulling out a star-like object. "Mickey gave me this. It's a 'star shard'. He said we can use this to get to other worlds easily, more so than any kind of ship. He said I needed to be careful with it, too; it can go off at any time if I don't know what I'm doing."

"Let's get going then," Lea said as he moved to stand closer to Kairi. "Now…how do you use it?"

"You have to hold it with me," Kairi stated, not going on until Lea did so. She didn't tell the man any explanation, but it was told to him simply as she held her and Lea's hand into the air. Afterwards, the shard began to glow. They were transformed into a ball of light, which now began to bounce out of the window and into the vast reaches of the Lanes Between.

They woke up with a stir, Kairi sitting her body up before Lea. Scanning their surroundings, they were in an alleyway, with various boxes accompanying them. Just outside of this alley was the sound of a loud commotion. Kairi and Lea stood up to see what was going on, which now they were able to piece together regarding where the shard had taken them; they were in a very urban place, with activity everywhere their eyes would dart to. Very bizarre creatures were around, all in different shapes and forms, most of them keeping themselves busy with various task. Shop keepers were selling strange merchandise, and the air had a lingering, potent smell from the determined workers that were at every corner. Most of these workers, the two of them saw, were around what was obviously the most eye-catching thing of this world; floating ships.

"Well, this is…surprising," Lea spoke up, trying to find a better word to describe their surroundings.

"It's going to be hard trying to find _any _sort of information on Xehanort," Kairi said in worry. "This is definitely different then the islands."

"Yeah, this place doesn't look too friendly, either," Lea added on. "There are so many suspicious-looking people here, I'm afraid each and every one of them is plotting against us. We need to at least look around."

Kairi nodded in agreement. Her first time in a long while off of her world began to take effect on her; she shifted her eyes away from each stranger that looked at hers, not wanting to give someone the "wrong" look. Kairi was beginning to wish for the safety of the islands again. Despite the numerous ships at each dock they passed, she couldn't hear any waves. That sound comforted her, and it felt almost wrong to not have it around the things that were normally in water. Each person she passed was distinctively different from the other, which that alone gave her an uneasy feeling. Kairi and Lea did see a number of humans, but it wasn't because most were not that caused her negative feelings; the majority of the crowd looked quite intimidating, like pirates getting ready to pillage a town. Maybe she was just being judgmental.

After walking for several minutes, Kairi bumped into somebody. She didn't have time to apologize when a red claw suddenly grabbed hold of her clothing. The girl was soon face-to-face with a spider-like creature, with its face just as red as the thing holding Kairi close to it. She saw a long face begin to grimace and glare at hers, making the girl freeze her muscles. This thing didn't look like it was going to let Kairi go away freely.

"Watch where you're goin'," The alien rasped, pulling Kairi closer.

Lea intervened before things got out of hand. "Whoa, there, bud. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. That's _my_ damsel in distress."

"You aren't helping," Kairi growled towards the man, now trying to shake loose.

The spider-crab hybrid kept his pincers clenched tight. "Strangers shouldn't be poking their heads in other people's business."

"All I did was run into you."

"I know how your kind works," the alien hissed at Kairi. "Prey on the weak, and get them when they can't fight back. I'll tell you somethin', girl; I'm anything but."

Kairi was confused by the alien's accusing statement, but she quickly noticed the white casting that clearly stuck out from his body's darker colors. Whenever had happened, the alien flashed a broken leg. Regardless, using his injury as an excuse to get aggressive with somebody else wasn't right. "I'm sorry. I swear I didn't know."

"You better be tellin' the truth," the red-headed alien said as he shoved Kairi into Lea. "or else I'm comin' back for you later."

The alien began to walk off, although with noticeable trouble. Despite their small dispute, Kairi felt sorry for the alien. Perhaps she should have been more careful, and even though his appearance was quite startling to those not use to such people as herself, looks were deceiving. Anybody would be angry and grumpy having to walk around with an injured leg with no support. Walking over to the alien again, she wrapped her arm around one of his, causing him to try to jerk away.

"What you think you're doing?" the alien growled. "Back to finish the job, is it?"

"I'm helping," Kairi said simply, smiling at the alien's frowning glare. "Lea, come help, please."

Lea was speculative about this new friend Kairi was making now, but with a heart as full of light as hers, it was no doubt she would eventually come to somebody's aid. He had wished it wouldn't have been this soon. Sighing, he said to himself, "This is going to be a long trip."

The alien helped them lead him to the ship he and his other crewmates were setting out on (though reluctant to do so). Just as the marketplace was, the deck was teaming with activity. Not a single person was sitting and resting, with each of their tasks seeming as important as everyone else's. And just as well, Kairi didn't seem to like the crowd. Still, seeing the one she was helping end up not being as bad as she first judged, Kairi tried to calm her nerves and relax. She didn't want to look weak anymore, and wanted to actually do something for once. Sora and Riku needed to protect her all the time even as kids, so now she hoped, one day, she could do the same for them.

Several crew members noticed the small group walking up the connection between the ship and the dock below, some beginning to snicker. Three made their way over to them, two being very large and intimidating and the third having multiple eyestalks sprouting from the top of his head, this one being much shorter.

"What's this, Scroop?" laughed the fat alien. "Having little girls taking care of your boo-boo?"

"Excuse me?" Lea snapped at him. "I think you're mistaking what my gender is, tubby!"

"Well, you sure are skinny like one," giggled the one with many eyes. "It's like someone scrapped off all of th' meat off yah."

Scroop glared at the three poking fun at him, causing him to shove both Kairi and Lea away. He was no match for two of the three aliens regarding his strength, but his words would make up for that. "You keep flapping those mouths of yours, I'll be sure to have you all thrown off the ship. Have you forgotten why we're here in the first place? You know we won't tolerate any kind of mockery, and you know what'll happen if rules are broken."

The three aliens looked back and forth from one another, soaking in Scroop's words. Even if they didn't care about any punishment, they didn't seem to want to risk it for something so meaningless. At least they had some sense to back off now. This being so, the alien with four arms said, "If these two are here to join the crew, then you better hope they aren't pathetic, since you-know-who also doesn't like dead weight."

They all left Scroop alone for now, but Scroop himself wasn't done letting out his aggression. He looked over at Kairi and Lea and gave them the meanest of glares, as if they were the ones to blame for his harassment. He left them standing on the deck alone, disappearing as he went to the lower regions of the ship.

Kairi and Lea looked at one another, not knowing what they should do next. Now that they helped Scroop, they had no more purpose left to be here. Should they move on, though? Kairi had the feeling they weren't done helping Scroop, since he clearly looked upset and angry towards the both of them. With this in mind, she made her decision. She knew how much Sora would help another in need, so Kairi wanted to do the same. To actually help a world like her friends have many times, it would make her feel like she was committing to something. No longer shall she be the one needing help.

"Let's go follow him," Kairi instantly said to Lea.

"Why? By the looks of it, he needs some alone time," Lea said back to Kairi, not wanting to agitate the alien any more.

Kairi clenched her fist at her side and stared up at Lea with a stern look, one that said he had no say in the manner. From Lea's perspective, however, it simply looked like she was pouting. Whatever mean look Kairi was trying to give him, it didn't work for Lea. He was told to watch over Kairi, however, and not boss her around. Shrugging, Lea agreed to go with Kairi's idea.

The both of them headed the way Scroop had, making sure no one saw them intruding into their ship. With the bustling commotion, this was an easy task. They slipped in with ease, but that was where their luck stopped; the hallways looked normal at first, but eventually it began to branch off into many other hallways. There were no labels at to which hall contained what rooms. They had no choice but to search them all. Of the ones they checked, Scroop was not in any of them. Kairi and Lea found several engine rooms, storages, and other various places one would suspect to be on a ship. Their friend couldn't be in any of them.

Their search continued, however, Lea keeping a close eye on Kairi. Being stereotypical, he expected one of the crew members outside to have attempted a kidnapping by now. He thought to himself that Kairi may be the only female they have been around, so Lea made sure to keep his guard up more than he needed. Kairi was actually nerved with being alone with Lea down where nobody knew where they were. She didn't know his current motives, but what would be stopping him from taking her away somewhere else? No one was looking. Perhaps it was due to her being able to put up a fight now, but even though they were both unskilled with their Keyblades (though enough to properly use them), she knew Lea had more experience, even if it wasn't by much. Her training went exceptionally well, Yen Sid even praising her, but regardless Kairi had much to learn.

Both of their thoughts were suddenly halted when Kairi bumped into somebody when turning another corner, startling her and causing the girl to fall to the ground. Lea looked down at Kairi, then up at whomever or whatever made her lose her balance. He was surprised; it was a woman in fancy clothing, looking much more sophisticated than the people up above. She didn't look human, as her face had more feline features, but she was certain the closest looking one they have seen, at least on this ship. One thing the woman did seem to have in common with the brutes was the look she gave the pair; she wasn't happy to see them.

"Who in blazes are you two scurrying around on _my_ ship?" she demanded to know.

Lea had to quickly think of a lie to cover them. He knew better than to outright reveal they weren't from this world. He was good at lying, though. "We were told to do a quick check of the storage units. Making sure everything is where they should be and all…"

"Even if that is the case," the woman began, not sounding fully convinced. "this area of the ship is off limits to unauthorized personnel. In fact, I don't even know who you two are. Speak your names!"

"Kairi," the girl still on the ground said in a small shriek. She didn't like the demanding tone this older woman was giving them.

"And I'm Lea."

"You don't happen to be that cloaked fellow that joined earlier, are you?" the woman then asked as she slightly squinted her eyes at Lea to closely examine him. "You didn't show your face to me, so I didn't exactly get a good look at you, or at all."

"You got the wrong guy," Lea truthfully said, thought quickly took note of what the woman said. Kairi did as well.

"Hmm..." The woman backed off of Kairi and Lea, but wasn't done dealing with the situation. "Come with me; I need to make sure you two are registered on this ship. I'm afraid I don't trust two scoundrels running around my ship that I don't even recognize. You better hope you are telling the truth about why you were down here in the first place."

Kairi and Lea obliged, but were slightly nervous; the woman wouldn't have a problem ratting them out. Whether or not telling her they were not part of the crew would get them in less trouble then what they were digging themselves into now, it would be forever unknown to them. All they could do was follow the woman to void any more suspicion on them if they refused.

They were led back to the top deck of the ship and to an office, looking just as fancy as the woman's own clothing. Lea could piece together that she was one of the higher authorities of the ship; it was the least grimy place of the ship by far, and with a lovely scent to boot. Kairi kept her whole focus on the woman, however, worried about what would happen to them; if they were thrown off, then helping Scroop now would be out of the picture. As well, the new information about someone in a black coat meant they _needed _to stay longer. The two of them have not seen anyone like this, but staying longer would guarantee their chances to.

The woman placed a stack of papers on top of her desk after shuffling through several drawers, now beginning to skim through them. She mumbled what sounded like names, and Kairi and Lea's would not be amongst them. They could tell the woman was beginning to become increasingly narrow, her suspicion rising even more as she didn't see either of Kairi or Lea's names listed. The two needed to act fast, or else they would be discovered.

"Captain Amelia," suddenly called out somebody. A tall being, appearing to be made of stone, stepped into the room, looking as professional as the woman checking the names. In fact, if he hadn't stated her status just now, Kairi and Lea might have mistaken him as the captain of the ship instead. "Dr. Doppler and Jim Hawkins have just arrived."

"Thank you for informing me, Mr. Arrow," Amelia nodded, putting away the papers. Kairi and Lea felt relief fill their chests, but the feeling was quickly vanquished when the captain approached the two of them one last time with a stern look. She didn't need to say any words to indicate her lingering doubt about the pair. They were lucky for now, as she followed Mr. Arrow out of the cabin, Kairi and Lea following behind.

Kairi spotted who she guessed were the new people who were supposedly joining; one of them was an odd-looking man in a giant, bulky suit, his face visible through the glass of his helmet. His ears flopped loosely by the side of his face, moving whenever he would turn his head, and his nose was quite large and bizarre as well, almost like a dog's. His fragile-looking glasses made him look intelligent, even if he really wasn't. The boy beside this man was the most normal-looking person Kairi had seen since arriving to this world. He looked like a regular human boy. His hair was tied in a ponytail on the back of his head, and looked around the same age as Sora. His age was the only thing Kairi could depict that he and Sora had in common, as the boy didn't look like he had as caring of a personality.

Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow approached them, with Amelia addressing the older man first, "Ah, Dr. Doppler, I presume."

Dr. Doppler's speech began to sputter as he tried to confirm the woman. He was interrupted as the captain knocked several times on the helmet. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Yes I can hear you." The doctor said in a slightly irritated tone, pulling off his helmet with a bit of struggle. He put his hands at his side to further express this.

Amelia grabbed one of Dr. Doppler's hands and shook it to show she at least had some respect. "I'm Captain Amelia, and this here is Mr. Arrow."

"Mm, yes. If I may interrupt you for a moment," Dr. Doppler began as motioned his arms towards the boy beside him. "This is Jim Hawkins. Jim, you see, is the one who found the treasure ma-mmph!"

Captain Amelia grabbed Dr. Doppler's face and pulled it close to hers, shushing him as she glared at the doctor, then looked around at the crew. Several were eavesdropping on their conversation, and when the captain saw them, they immediately went back to work, though didn't seem worried about any consequences. Amelia let go of Doppler's face afterwards, then said, "I'd like to speak with you in my office."

She led them to where she had Kairi and Lea, but as they followed, the captain stopped them from entering. "I'm afraid this is a private manner. I don't want the wrong ears hearing about this."

The door was closed and locked on them. Kairi now turned to Lea, wondering what their next step should be. "That didn't work out like I thought it would."

"I knew something bad was gonna come out of that," Lea then said, crossing his arms at Kairi. "Don't you think it was a bit dumb to just go waltzing in places you shouldn't? You seem to be good at that."

"Like I had a choice those other times," Kairi said sternly, looking away from Lea. "I just wanted to help."

"I guess one good thing came out of our troubles," Lea said, bringing up what the captain mentioned to them earlier. "That lady thought I was another guy in a black coat. That means one of Xehanort's members must be here, so it's great that we found this ship. We need to find this guy and see what he's up to, or if we have the right idea in mind."

"Yeah," Kairi simply said in agreement. "None of the crew members have any black coats, so the person the captain mentioned must be hiding down below somewhere, and we didn't spot anything important while down there ourselves."

"We'll have to do a bit more sneaking later…_without_ being caught," Lea then firmly stated.

Kairi made a face at the man. She didn't suspect anyone to have known they were down there, so it was an honest mistake to her. "I'm trying my best."

"I know you want to be like Sora and help every person in distress, but the thing is Sora can naturally do that without even trying, "Lea began. " It's just the way he was born. He can make just about anyone get a good feeling about themselves. You, on the other hand…just because your heart is filled to the brim and overflowing with light, it doesn't mean it will affect anyone. You will have to work at it, instead of approaching someone and go 'I'm here to save the day' and expect good results. You still have a ways to go, kid."

Kairi didn't like being lectured by Lea; she didn't think he knew anything regarding making people happy. The happiest he had seen him was when he took her to Xemnas's castle, and it was for a bad reason. As stubborn as she might be, Kairi knew there was truth in Lea's words. She was trying to copy Sora, since his methods of helping others seemed to work out so well in her eyes. Perhaps doing things her way would be much better.

"I at least want to apologize to that Scroop guy," Kairi said to Lea, giving him a look that said he wasn't allowed to refuse.

"Alright, deal," Lea agreed. "But afterwards, we're finding the black coat guy, if he's still here."

"Of course."

They heard the door to Amelia's office open once again. Dr. Doppler and Jim were being escorted out by Mr. Arrow, and those two had irritated frowns upon their faces.

"I cannot believe this!" the doctor ranted. "Who does she think she is ordering _me_ around? If it weren't for me, none of this would be happening."

"And if it weren't for her, there would be no voyage to set out on!" Mr. Arrow instantly retorted, not appreciating the backlash the doctor was presenting. "She is the finest officer in the entire galaxy."

Mr. Arrow noticed Kairi and Lea still at the doorstep of the office. Giving them a mean look as well, Mr. Arrow spoke news to them. "The captain has ordered the two of you to work down with our cook as punishment for sticking your filthy noses where they shouldn't be. Jim will be accompanying you as well."

"Yippee," Jim groaned nonchalantly. His attitude seemed more towards the sound of working a low-paying and unexciting job rather than having to work with Kairi and Lea. He looked slightly unhappy about that as well, though.

No one had any say in the manner regardless, as now the small group headed into the lower decks, this part leading to a single, small mess hall. A slight foul air hit Kairi's nose, but tolerated it for now. She saw somebody working at the very end of the mess hall, in an area that looked like a kitchen. The person was silhouetted at the moment.

Lea spoke up to Mr. Arrow, speaking his mind about having to partake in a job such as cooking food (or, most likely, serving it). "Um, Mr. Stone-Guy. I've had experience with fire and all in the past, but I think, personally, I'd be more useful…somewhere else."

"Is that so?" Mr. Arrow said as he eyed Lea, suspecting Lea to merely want to get out of work.

"Of course! I've, uh…been to a whole bunch of other places in my lifetime. I…could be helpful with…navigation…" Lea only thought of this idea because he has traveled to different worlds before, but not in the sense of actually directing any kind of vessel to them. He could go from one place to another instantly. Nobody on this world could have guessed this was what Lea meant, but still, Mr. Arrow looked doubtful.

"Perhaps later you can prove your worth," Mr. Arrow said as he considered the suggestion. "For now…ahem! Mr. Silver!"

The one concealed in the shadows appeared to poke his head up at them, revealing his large size. He gave them a throaty laugh. "Why, hello there, sir! Had I known you'd be bringing in so many guests, I'd have tidied up a bit, heheheh!"

Kairi was quick to notice the mechanical parts replacing several limbs on Silver, including his right eye. Something tragic and painful must have happened to this man, and Kairi could only imagine what could have put him in such a condition. Asking about it seemed rude, as such a point in Silver's life might not be something he would want to casually talk about. The man seemed lighthearted despite this, and looked enthusiastic to meet the new strangers before him.

Mr. Arrow introduced Dr. Doppler first, and after Mr. Arrow did Silver teased the timid man in the suit by shooting a harmless laser light at him, pretending to scan the doctor. Quick to get out of the situation, Dr. Doppler urged Jim in front of him. "This young lad is Jim."

"Jimbo!" Silver greeted as he extended his mechanical arm at him, only to see his fingers replaced with various sharp tools. Jim looked slightly startled, but narrowed his eyes afterwards as Silver chuckled and retracted the tools and replaced them with a hand. Jim didn't take the offer as he looked up at Silver. Silver shrugged, thinking Jim was simply in a bad mood. Moving back to the kitchen, he said to Jim, "Now, no need to get upset over a hunk of hardware."

Silver transformed his arm again to aid him in preparing some food, which Kairi watched in amazement; in such a skilled manner, Silver professionally cut and sliced pieces of food and put them all in a pan. He cracked several eggs to add to the dish as well, and afterwards torched the bottom of the pan with a small flamethrower apart of his arm. Dumping the contents of the pan into a large, boiling pot in the center of the kitchen, he added some spices and stirred for just a moment before taking out a ladle and pouring some of the dish into two bowls. Handing them to Jim and Dr. Doppler, he urged them to try some.

The doctor was impressed, judging by his delighted expression. As Jim tried to take a bite, the spoon he was holding suddenly turned into a pink mass that ate it instead, as well as everything else in the bowl. Kairi was beginning to wonder what else might surprise her in this world. Her first nervous feelings about being somewhere foreign were long gone, and now she wished to see what waited around the next corner.

"There yah are, Morph!" Silver said to the small, floating blob as it zoomed towards the man. "I was lookin' everywhere for yahs!"

As Silver tickled the side of Morph, he briefly glanced back at the group. This was when he saw Kairi and Lea standing by the group, now becoming curious about whom they were. "Why, I musta missed this lad and lass. My apologies."

"These two are merely here as punishment for being in places they shouldn't," Mr. Arrow told Silver, not being remotely interested in people unimportant to him.

"We're Lea and Kairi," Lea answered for Silver, giving Mr. Arrow a mean look as he did so.

"Both her and Mr. Hawkins will be working with you," Mr. Arrow continued, ignoring Lea.

Silver looked at Mr. Arrow with concern and shock. "I beg yer pardin'?"

"Make sure the both of them are kept busy." Mr. Arrow began to lead Dr. Doppler and Lea up the steps where they entered from. Lea quickly motioned to Kairi to let her know he would come back for her later. As the group disappeared, Silver and Jim desperately tried to convince Mr. Arrow to change his mind, but their speech only came out as sputters. They both sighed in annoyance, and then looked directly at each other, ignoring Kairi for now.

"So, you and the lass were put with me, eh?" Silver began as he and Jim began to circle around one another.

"Yep," Jim responded with no emotion.

"Well, I'm not one to disobey orders from the cap'n," Silver shrugged as he went back to cooking. "So, what's your story, girl? You don't look much like a worker, with no offense, of course."

"I can work as hard as anyone else," Kairi retorted as her face blushed slightly with anger. She didn't appreciate Silver judging her in this way so soon.

"I'm just sayin'; those clothes of yours are awfully girly. Th' captain has less femininity then most of the men here, so I guess I'm just use to seeing more…independent woman." Silver chuckled as he went back to focusing on cutting more food to put in the pot. This was when Jim stepped into the conversation, again focusing only on Silver.

"Y'know, this food kinda reminds me of the stuff at my home…on Montreser. Ever been there?" Jim's tone was hinting at something. He emphasized the name of where he came from, all the while eyeing Silver with untrustworthy stares.

Silver didn't look like he knew what Jim was suggesting. "No, can't say I have, Jimbo. Where you from, Kelly?"

"Kairi," the girl corrected. She felt a sense that Silver was trying to avoid Jim's own question, but his casual tone seemed genuine and honest about his previous answer.

Kairi continued to give Silver an answer to his curiosity, "I come from…some islands. Actually, I'm not sure where my real home is."

"A shame," Silver frowned. "Not rememberin' where you came from must be real terrible."

"So anyway," Jim interrupted. "Just before I left to come here, I met this old guy. He was looking for a cyborg, kinda like you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Now, what was his name? Oh yeah, Bones. Billy Bones?"

Kairi was trying to depict what was going on. It was obvious Jim was suspicious of Silver, but for what? Silver was making a good first impression on Kairi so far, but then again they met just a few minutes ago. Jim knew something about this guy, and by the way the boy was acting, it wasn't good.

"Bones? That isn't a name I'm familiar with. There're quite a few cyborgs around these parts. Must be one of 'em." Silver smiled as he moved his prepared dish to the other side of the kitchen to add more ingredients.

Before Jim could ask anything else, a whistle was heard, along with Mr. Arrow beginning to shout orders. Silver then gently pushed Jim away, urging him to leave and join with everyone on the top deck. "Off with yah, lad. And take the lass with yah. They could use both of yer help after the launch."

Jim put his hands in his jacket as he stared down Silver for a few more seconds. He then turned around and slowly walked up the stairs, ignoring Kairi and leaving her alone. Kairi simply sighed; she would ask about Jim's behavior later.

Kairi watched the commotion begin to become fuller of energy than it was before. As Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow shouted orders left and right, each person did as they were told without hesitation. The ship's masses were raised, ropes were tied, units were fastened into place, and everything seemed to have an importance to it. It fascinated Kairi to see how much different other worlds were from her own. This journey will surely be one to remember.

Soon, the ship began to leave the docks and into the vast reaches of space, the stars becoming brighter as they left the lights of the stations they were leaving behind. This confused Kairi and Lea; did this world know about other worlds, as it seemed like they were ready to go out into the deep space that contained all of them? Yen Sid said no other worlds were to know that other worlds existed, so perhaps they had nothing to worry about regarding this, seeing as these people probably have seen hundreds already.

Still, Kairi put this thought aside as she looked over the edge of the ship to get a better view of where they were going…she actually had no idea where this ship was taking her and Lea. Surely they weren't going out for a quick spin and merely head back to the docks. Kairi thought about asking the captain, but she suspected everyone else was informed about their mission before even joining the ship. Kairi would pretend to know for now.

Kairi saw Jim looking just as amazed as she was; he was climbing around the ship to view it from every angle, as no matter where one would look, the vast space the ship was zooming through looked stunning. Stars sparkled from every direction, and vibrate and colorful mist swirled everywhere. Beauty wasn't a good enough word to describe it.

She walked over to Jim, her hands behind her back as she spoke. "I didn't think you would be this excited."

"Are you kidding?" Jim exclaimed with a grin, still turning his head to view everything. "This is the best thing ever! I never thought I would be able to be a part of a voyage like this. I can't wait to get to Treasure Planet."

"Treasure Planet?" Kairi echoed. She took it as their destination, and the name itself explained what would be awaiting them, but there had to be more to it than the world to have riches. "What's…?"

"Jimbo! Kayre!" Silver suddenly shouted at them, sounding displeased.

Kairi grumbled to herself as Silver got her name wrong once again, but put it aside for now. She and Jim both looked over at him, just in time to react to what Silver tossed at them; they were each given a mop and bucket, their job not needing to be explained to them.

"You two get busy with cleanin' th' ship," Silver demanded. "No slacking off, and no breaks unless I say so. I want the deck spotless!"

"Joy," Jim mumbled to himself. Kairi didn't like such a bland task either, but she would have to in order to keep suspicion off of her. She wondered if Lea was having a better time than her.

Lea tried to follow along with what Dr. Doppler was saying to him. Perhaps saying he was a navigator was a mistake now, because he had no idea what the much-smarter man was explaining. Lea heard a lot of big words he couldn't even guess the meaning behind, but nodding and agreeing with what he said seemed to work at avoiding him adding to this conversation.

The reason he had even mentioned he had navigation skills was to be able to explore the ship more, and to find the Organization member that the captain had mentioned was aboard the ship. He couldn't find any kind of reason they might be, but having a slightly higher rank than cooking for an entire crew would at least let him be able to explore more of what this ship had to offer. So far, nothing of interest had come up yet, but if one of Xehanort's accomplices were here, then there had to be something of value somewhere. Lea hoped to find whatever it was first.

Captain Amelia came into the room, hands behind her back. She still sported the same stare she had when first meeting Lea, so the man could tell straight away he would have to be very convincing to make her think he was actually useful to her. Lea thought he was plenty useful to begin with, just not in the way Captain Amelia might expect.

"Alright, Mr. Lea," the captain began sternly. "Let's see if your claims are correct; if you really can help with navigation, I might consider a sort of promotion for you. You'll be working with Dr. Doppler as an assistant. If not, then you are going back to Mr. John Silver to clean the dishes. Got that?"

"Yes ma'am," Lea nodded reluctantly. He prepared for hard questions to be thrown at him, or perhaps even a chart of the entire space they were flying through and be ordered to draw a course on it. There was none of that (at least for now), as Captain Amelia, after making her statement to Lea, unlocked a cabinet and reached inside a small box. She pulled out a spherical object, having a rust color to it. Walking back over to Lea, she held it out to him.

"Open it," Amelia requested. "Only Mr. Hawkins was able to figure out how to open it. Surely you never seen him do it yourself, so if you truly want to be useful, unlock this map."

Lea raised an eyebrow; this was some kind of trick test. He didn't think this would be easy. Lea took the sphere anyway, and then began to roll it around in his hand to expect it. He looked for any kind of button on it that might be easily hidden, or if it could be rotated in a certain place. The problem was there were many places like this on the sphere, so it was hard to guess.

"So, this is a map, you said?" Lea asked the captain, trying to buy him a little more time to figure out the contraption.

"Indeed. It can show us the entire galaxy," the captain added on. "Every single planet can be charted on it."

"Really?" This device had to be more complicated than Lea first expected if it could do that. Being able to see every world in existence would be a neat thing to see…as well as very helpful. Perhaps this device was what the Organization was after. They would try to steal it, figure out the puzzle behind it, and then plot out their next moves in quick succession. The same thing could be said for the "light" side of the battle. Lea considered stealing this sphere, if he could open it.

Again taking a long look at the device, he resorted to randomly tugging and pulling everywhere he could. It didn't budge, and he noticed Captain Amelia becoming more and more impatient.

Dr. Doppler stepped in, he himself wishing Lea would work faster. "Perhaps I should lend him a…"

"Let him be," Amelia retorted. "He must do it himself."

"Don't worry, you two. It's as easy as…" Lea felt something move out of place. He was able to turn a small section of the sphere now, mechanical clicking sounding as he turned that part. This lifted Lea's worry, as now he was finally onto something. The man couldn't tell if it was by instinct or not, but he began to move several more parts of the sphere, as well as pressing areas of the object that didn't budge before. Within a few seconds of doing this, the sphere began to shine a brilliant green light from between its cracks, and a hologram enlarged around the entire room. The hologram sported what Amelia described; it showed many planets that could be examined from every corner of the map. Lea tried to find worlds he has visited in the past, but this was when he found something odd.

All of the worlds were simple spheres. Lea knew each world had a distinctive shape to them that clued about what the world might be like (though wasn't what was all contained within it), and nothing he saw had this property. This confused Lea greatly. It made him change his mind about the map being useful to Xehanort. Regardless, Lea at least accomplished being able to impress the captain.

"Nicely done," she said as she examined the map as well. "Perhaps you can be someone I trust now, but you still need to prove you know how to use the interior of the map, but we'll save that for another time."

"Simply amazing!" Doppler exclaimed. "You and Jim must be very unique; not even I or the captain can figure out how to open this map on our own. It's just as intriguing being able to see every inch of our galaxy as it was the first time!"

"No more dilly-dallying, though," the captain suddenly said as she held the map in her hands again, causing it to close back up. "I must warn you, Lea, that we cannot let anybody aboard this ship to get their hands on this map. Our crew seems…fishy. That's why I overreacted when I saw you and your companion down in the brig; seeing a hairdo such as yours stands out no matter where you are."

"Yeah, we were just…curious what was down there," Lea said as he scratched the back of his head. _Is my hair really that funny-looking?_

"That had better be what it was," the captain stated. "Now come, both of you. I'd like to report this news to Mr. Arrow immediately."

After her sentence, the door suddenly opened. Lea's eyes widened once he saw the familiar black coat he was wearing himself. He had finally found the Organization member. Or was it the other way around?

"I thought you two had the same clothing," Captain Amelia said as she put a finger on her chin, placing her other hand under her elbow as she looked back and forth from the two men. "Are you two associated with one another?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned," Lea said as he continued to eye the man. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see through the darkness within the hood. He never thought about it before, but Lea commented to himself about how well the outfit was able to conceal the identity of the wearer. Whoever designed it to be like that was clever.

"Not anymore, at least," the cloaked man then spoke up. Lea picked up a familiar tone in the man's voice, but didn't know who it was just by that. Whoever it was, he wasn't around said person enough to become familiar with them.

"That aside, why did you come to come to my office?" Amelia then asked the hooded figure.

"Mr. Arrow is requesting your assistance," the man began to report. "It seems some of the crew members almost began to brawl with one another."

"Thank you. I will go to him straight away," the captain nodded at the man, then turned to Lea and Dr. Doppler. "I'll come back for you two later. For now, find some work to do around the ship until then."

"Aye, captain," Dr. Doppler confirmed, walking out with the captain.

Lea was left alone with the Organization member. Lea thought about attacking, but that would only serve to get him into trouble while still aboard the ship. Lea also wanted answers from the man; he still couldn't figure out why Xehanort might have sent the person here, if he even did. Back when Lea was a part of the old Organization XIII, one was sent to a world for a specific reason, and to fulfill a specific task. Sometimes it was very minor, but with the circumstances today, Xehanort probably had an agenda for all of his darknesses.

"What, are we gonna stare at each other until one of us collapses under the intensity?" the man mocked as he continued to stand at the doorway, blocking the exit for Lea. "I'm surprised with you, Axel; if I remember correctly, you wouldn't think twice about striking down people who slow you down, or even ones who are just too aggravating and troublesome. Surely you have better things to do then babysit a Princess of Heart."

"My name is Lea," Lea responded, narrowing his eyes. "What I'm doing is none of your business."

"You're right," the man said simply. "What do I care what you do with your existence? I can see you have turned a new leaf, but I can tell that fate is calling you elsewhere. We know why you're siding with the Guardians of Light, but I don't think you see clearly enough what your actions can truly do."

"And again, it's none of your business." Lea's fist clenched tightly. He couldn't fall for what the man was obviously trying to do. Lea wasn't stupid enough to listen to the taunts. "I'm not with the Organization anymore. I've decided that a long time ago, so you must have been left out on a few details."

"I'm not here to recruit you, if that's what you're suggesting," the man said. "In fact, it would be best for you to play hero for once. In case you haven't realized it yet, Kairi still distrusts you. She still sees you as a threat, an incompetent ally, a scheming weasel of unvirtuous controversy, and all because of how desperate you were in the past. You still are not trusted among everyone, so I suggest you think before you act, and see if your friends are worth the trouble in the end."

"Shut up!" Lea summoned his Keyblade, but was stopped from attacking when the man held up his hand.

"In due time," the man said, seeming to reassure Lea that he would get the chance to unleash his anger. "For now, do as you were told by Yen Sid, or else your luck just might run out."

The man walked away, but Lea stood there for another few minutes to collect his thoughts. The man was right; he needed to be careful about what he would do in the future. Lea knew what he wanted to do, but didn't know how he would pull it off. Only ideas helped him to think of solutions, but having a beginning and end didn't solve what would happen in between that gap. Lea wished it truly would be worth it once that time came.

Kairi and Jim swabbed every corner of the ship so far, but still they were nowhere close to being finished. What made it worse was other crew members walking over areas they just cleaned and getting the floor dirty again. It was tedious work, and it showed in both of them.

"This is ridiculous," Jim complained as he put slight aggression between each push of the mop. "Yeah, I got your Mr. Mop right here."

"It doesn't seem like this is getting done anytime soon," Kairi then said as she stopped for a moment to wipe her forehead. "I was hoping to do something slightly more important than this."

"Tell me about it," Jim agreed. "The whole reason I got on this stupid ship was to be able to see Treasure Planet, not clean up a ship the size of a whale."

Upon hearing that name again, Kairi remembered her curiosity about it a few hours ago. Now that it was brought up, it would be the perfect time to find out the story behind this place. "So what is 'Treasure Planet'? I wasn't told where we would be going, exactly."

"That doesn't surprise me considering you're here mopping the deck like me. I only know because I found a map leading to it," Jim said as he stopped working for a moment. "There was this guy named Captain Nathaniel Flint who went around every planet he could find to steal their treasure, and afterwards he would just vanish. No one knows how he did it. He hid all of his treasure on a single planet, and that place is Treasure Planet."

"So you want to get Flint's treasure?" Kairi then asked. "It wouldn't be nice to take something as infamous as legendary treasure."

"I don't want it just to be greedy, unlike most of the crew here," Jim explained. His expression changed as he looked down at the floor, turned slightly away from Kairi now. "My mom owns…_used to_ own this inn back home. It got burned down by a bunch of pirates. Before that happened, an old man crashed near the inn. I helped him inside, but he died of his injuries. He had this little sphere thing, and it turned out to be a map of the entire galaxy."

"And that map showed you where to find Treasure Planet?" Kairi then asked.

"Yeah, and those pirates wanted it." Jim looked more depressed now. He didn't look like he wanted to talk more about the subject, but continued anyway. "Before this, she was so disappointed in me, and she had good reasons to. I figured that this would be the one chance I could get to make things different between me and my mom."

Kairi looked at Jim in sympathy. The pain of someone you love not being able to trust you must have hurt more than she could imagine. Kairi has felt hurt, but not this kind. She could tell Jim had a good heart, though, and had faith in him that he could set things right in his life. "I believe you will."

"Thanks," Jim said as a small smile managed to break through his negative emotions. "So why are you here? You don't seem like much of a traveler."

Kairi had multiple reasons for being in this world, but she had specific one that motivated her to keep moving forward. "I'm here to make a difference. I want to show everyone that I'm not just some girl who sits around and waits to be rescued. I want to be the one who does the rescuing for once."

"Sounds like you're left out on a lot, huh?" Jim asked as he now continued to mop the ship.

"Yeah," Kairi knew her friends didn't see her as weak or useless, but it bothered her that all she could do before was help with her words. Some may say words are more powerful than people think, but Kairi didn't want to stand on the sidelines while everyone else were fighting off the darkness, something that was growing stronger with every minute. For once, she wanted to be alongside her friends when she, too, yields the evil that threatens the worlds.

Kairi was snapped from her thoughts when he heard Jim let out a startled yelp, causing her to look over at him again. She saw one of the aliens that had picked on Scroop earlier, the one with four arms. He had clearly pushed Jim, but regardless he turned around and growled, "Watch it, twerp!"

Jim now looked annoying as the lumbering creature stomped away. He looked over elsewhere, and then motioned Kairi to look as well after staring for a few moments. Hesitating at first, she turned her head in the direction Jim told her to look. She saw three other aliens whispering to one another, one of the pairs being the other two who had made fun of Scroop as well, along with another person. When they noticed Kairi and Jim eavesdropping, they quickly stopped and tried to look normal. It didn't help them look any less suspicious.

A hiss was then heard, Kairi and Jim turning their heads to see Scoop making his way towards them, stopping in from of Jim specifically. He leaned close to the boy, narrowing his eyes at him. "You should learn to mind your own business, cabin boy."

"He wasn't doing anything wrong," Kairi stepped in. "Whatever they were saying, we didn't hear them."

Scroop looked over at Kairi with the same look remaining, hissing again at her. "You stay out of this."

"Why? You have something to hide, bright eyes?" Jim then said, beginning to grin.

Scroop didn't appreciate the insult, as now he grabbed Jim by the collar of his shirt and lifted him into the air. "Maybe your ears don't work so well."

Jim grimaced as she turned his head away, now coughing and looking disgusted. "Yeah, well too bad my nose work just fine."

Scroop became angrier, now slamming Jim a nearby mast. Crew members now gathered around the upcoming fight between the two, cheering on and encouraging the brawl. Jim squirmed around to get free from Scroop's grip, but his claw held him fast. Using his free claw, he placed the tip underneath Jim's neck. "Any last words cabin boy?"

Before Jim could say or do anything else, he suddenly fell to the ground. Scroop shouted in pain as his head was hit by something, dazing him for a few moments. When he recovered, he looked up to see Kairi standing firmly in place, holding her Keyblade down in front of her. Her face told Scroop that she wouldn't tolerate him hurting Jim.

"What, you plan to hurt me with that girly stick of yours?" Scroop hissed as he stepped closer to her. "Little girls shouldn't be fighting battles they can't w-ggh!"

Silver came to Kairi's rescue (though she didn't need help), a casual look on his face as he ate a fruit with one hand, and holding Scroop's bandaged leg with his other mechanical one, having been switched to a vice grip. Biting into the fruit again, Silver asked, "Mr. Scroop, do you want to find out what happens to this bumped leg when I squeeze it real hard?"

Silver didn't give Scroop a chance to reply as the vice grip began to crush the alien's leg. Scroop opened his mouth in pain, but no noise came out. Silver let go soon after, allowing Scroop to recover and attend to his leg by rubbing at the pain.

Suddenly, Mr. Arrow came to the scene to see what all of the noise was about, his tone sounding unhappy. "What's all this then?"

Everyone instantly settled down, turning their attention to Mr. Arrow. Some backed away slightly from the higher authority as the man looked at each crew member with annoyance. "You all know the rules here; there will be no brawling on this ship. Any more offenders from here on out will be confined to the brig for the remainder of the voyage."

Mr. Arrow looked at Scroop specifically when reminding everyone of this statement. He leaned close to Scroop with a stern and angry glare, making sure to emphasize who was the boss of him. "Am I clear, Mr. Scroop?"

Scroop growled at the man, baring his teeth at him as he glared back. He stood down as he looked over at Silver, who gave Scoop his own glare. Scroop sighed in defeat, and then looked back at Mr. Arrow who was still hovering over him. "Transparently."

"Good." Mr. Arrow straightened himself up again, then slowly began to walk away from the crowd. "I'll make sure the captain hears about this."

Everyone began to go back to their previous activities, each commenting to themselves about what just happened. Silver stayed with Kairi and Jim, putting his hands on his hips as he eyed them down. "I gave you two a job, and…"

Jim interrupted Silver, trying to defend his and Kairi's side of the story. "Hey, we were doing it until that bug thing came…"

"Belay that!" Silver yelled at him, shoving a mop into Jim's chest. "Now get back to work, th' both of yah! Heaven help if I come back and it's not done…Morph."

The pink, floating blob came zooming to the large man's side obediently. He listened to what Silver had to say. "Keep an eye on these pups, and let me know if there're any more distractions."

As Silver walked away, Morph saluted him to confirm that he would watch the pair, enlarging his eyes to make sure he didn't miss a single move they both made. Jim sighed as he went back to work, and Kairi resorted to ignoring Morph as much as she could. As the hours went by and day turned to night, Jim and Kairi began to make actual progress as the active crew members slowly went back to their beds. Morph seemed to grow bored of watching them do such a bland task. He resorted to messing with the two, and constantly began to bother them. Granted, Morph did so in an entertaining way; he pretended to mop with the two, only instead of cleaning the floor he got in their way and cleaned their shoes instead. Kairi didn't mind, and Jim seemed to like how Morph was trying to lighten the mood as well.

"You know, he's really cute once you get use to him," Kairi commented as Morph now flew circles around her head.

"It's certainly been an interesting day," Jim agreed as he held his mop to the side of him. "We've made quite a few friends, too, like that spider psycho."

Morph transformed his body to match that of Scroop, only on a much smaller scale, now beginning to repeat Jim's last two words; "Spider psycho, spider psycho!"

Kairi giggled at the tiny voice the creature made, and Jim chuckled himself. They were becoming thankful that Silver had been so strict when telling Morph to make sure they didn't get into any more trouble. The night might have been really quiet had it not been for Morph now. Speaking of Silver, the man began to walk up to the two still working, a bucket of scraps from tonight's meal in his arms that he tossed over the ship. "Well, well, lookit here. Seems you guys are getting along just fine. And the decks still in one piece, to boot."

Kairi smiled at Silver's comment, looking over at Jim to see what he thought. He seemed to have something to say to the man. He looked more bashful than usual as he began to fiddle with the mop in his hands. "Look, um…what you did back there for us…thanks."

Silver looked over at Jim and Kairi, raising his eyebrows. "Didn't your pop ever teach you to pick your fights more carefully?"

Jim tilted their heads away from Silver. Kairi could tell it was a touchy subject for him, something Silver couldn't have known. He didn't mean any harm in asking the question, but it made him feel sorry for the boy nonetheless.

"No, not really," Jim then spoke up.

"He not the teaching sort?" Silver asked gently.

Jim shook his head, telling Silver he was wrong. "He was more the taking-off-and-never-coming-back sort…"

Silver's brows bowed upwards, sighing in sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that…what about you, lass?"

Kairi was hoping not to speak about the topic. She had wished she could answer, even if her past was bad as well. Kairi was willing to have even a shimmer of memory of her younger days. "I don't even know where I come from. I have my friends who look out for me, but they're the entire home I have now. It would be nice to at least know where I was originally born."

"Why can't yah remember?" Silver then asked.

"I don't know," Kairi responded, her face becoming filled with sorrow. "Whatever it was, it happened to suddenly for me to piece together the events. I was still little when it happened. One day, I woke up on a pair of islands, and that's where I've lived ever since."

"That's quite a tragic story," Silver said as Kairi finished. He looked down at his mechanical arm and leg, moving them and making them whir quietly in several places. "I know what it's like to lose something, chasing a dream. I hope that whatever you're doing, Kairi, it'll be worth it in the end. I sure hope it's the same on my side, too."

Sliver brought both Jim and Kairi closer to him, wrapping an arm around each and tugging at their heads lightly. Silver tried to get rid of the depressing mood lingering around them and replace it with a more cheery one. "Well, the cap'n has put the both or you in my hands, so like it or not, I'm gonna teach th' both of you a thing or two for these thick skulls of yours to keep yah outta trouble. From now on, you will not and cannot do anything without my say-so, got it?"

Kairi could pick up the joking manner in Silver's voice, while Jim was taking it slightly more seriously as he began to struggle out of the man's grasp. Giggling, Kairi saluted the man as she, too, playfully tried to escape from his arm. "Aye, sir!"

"Don't do us any favors!" Jim then retorted as Silver let go of the both of them.

Putting his arms at his side, Silver leaned forward and said, "You can be sure of that, Jimbo. You can be sure of that."

Their moment was instantly shattered as a huge, powerful gust of wind pushed the entire ship in the same direction as it was moving. The group was knocked off of their feet, but they quickly recovered to see what had just transpired.

"What the devil was that?" Silver asked to himself, looking in the horizon of the deep space. There, he, Kairi, and Jim saw a pitch black void, dark purple mist swirling around the blackened core. It was of tremendous size, something nobody could even be able to fathom.

Kairi began to look around to see what everyone else was doing; they staring at the void as well, each standing in disbelieve and unable to think of how to escape what was now pulling them closer. Kairi looked around for Lea, spotting him on the other side of the ship standing with Captain Amelia and Dr. Doppler. Even from the distance she was from them, she could hear the doctor's panicked shrieks of terror.

"On, my! A star has completely collapsed on itself. It's turning into a black hole!" he warned everybody.

The captain immediately took action. She shouted orders in every direction possible, and Mr. Arrow repeatedly shouted for each member to fasten a lifeline around them to avoid being pulled off the ship. Kairi didn't listen to anything they were saying, however, and tried to make her way to Lea. She pushed and shoved, being knocked down several times. Kairi recovered with quick succession, and soon collided with Lea himself, who had been trying to find her as well.

"What is that?" Kairi shouted over the noise.

"It isn't a black hole, or at least the kind the doctor is thinking of." Lea tried to explain as he, too, had to shout in order for the girl to hear her. "It's darkness, and I have a feeling whose it is."

Kairi looked over at the gigantic ball of darkness again, witnessing it coming closer and closer to her view. They couldn't stand for long or else they would be pulled into it and be lost forever. Tugging at Lea's sleeves desperately, she said, "We have to get a lifeline, too! Hurry!"

Without a second thought, they scurried to one of the masts of the ship, grabbing a rope and tying a rope around their waists and made sure they were secured. Now they watched everyone else try to defend the ship by firing cannons at the loose debris aiming for the ship, and making sure the sails were not damaged.

"Make sure all lifelines are secure, Mr. Hawkins!" the captain ordered the boy, who did as he was told without question. He went around pulling at each rope to make sure they would not come off, which didn't take him long at all.

"All lifelines secure, captain!"

"Very good! Now hang on; we're gonna ride one of the waves out of here. Brace yourselves, everyone!"

The ship drew nearer and nearer to the center of the darkness. They didn't know if the captain's plan would work, but it was the only hope they could hold onto. Their odds seemed slim elsewhere. Every crew member readied themselves, the light now becoming dimmer. Soon, they saw nothing but darkness and heard only the howling winds blowing all around. Lea and Kairi both closed their eyes and embraced one another for comfort, ready for whatever happened. Then silence.

They couldn't hear anything.

They couldn't see anything.

They couldn't feel anything.

They couldn't breathe.

Were they lost in the darkness?

Reality snapped back into everyone as another gust of wind blasted into the ship, pushing it out and completely away from the void. Kairi and Lea looked around them, and noticed the darkness now a simple dot in the sky. They then heard cheering from the crew as everyone jumped up in the air and hooted in success. Lea only laughed, letting out a huge sigh of relieve. Looking down at Kairi, he noticed they were still close to one another, then gently pulled her off.

"I don't think Sora would be too happy if he saw me hugging you," Lea said in a chuckle.

"He'll be fine," Kairi replied as she giggled herself, a small blush forming from Lea poking fun at her.

The captain walked into the crowd of cheering people, though soon hushed them to become quiet. She first looked over at Jim and Silver, a small smile forming, "I must congratulate you, Mr Silver; your cabin boy did a bang up job securing those lifelines."

The both of them lightly shoved one another as they laughed, both looking proud for one another. Captain Amelia then went to take roll call, to make sure everybody was safe and still aboard the ship. "All personnel accounted for, Mr. Arrow?"

There was no response. Everyone looked around to find the man, but he was nowhere to be seen. Again, Amelia called out for Mr. Arrow, but still there was no reply. Scroop was then seen slowly walking towards the captain, his face struck with grieve and despair. He held up the hat Mr. Arrow wore, allowing the captain to take it in her hands as she realized the news Scroop was about to share. "I'm afraid Mr. Arrow has been lost. His lifeline was not secured."

Each person was now looking at Jim, the one tasked with such an important job. The captain didn't look happy with him, and Jim's face filled with worry. "N-no, that's…I checked them all. I made sure."

He ran to the line that Mr. Arrow was fastened to, only to see it gone. He was hit with disbelieve. "But, I-I did, I checked everyone's. I swear I did!"

The captain was not convinced. She looked away from Jim in disappointment, then examined Mr. Arrow's hat once more. She was very upset, but she didn't allow any tears to form. "Mr. Arrow was a…fine spacer, finer than most of us could ever hope to be. He knew the risks, however, as did all of us. Resume your posts, everyone. We can't stall no longer."

The atmosphere of sadness did not lift after the captain said her words of respect, everyone sulking off to their previous tasks. This would be a day no one would forget. Despite seeing Mr. Arrow as a strict man at first, Kairi felt the pain of everyone else. Lea could see this, now placing a hand on her shoulder. It comforted her only a little, but appreciated his support nonetheless. She was thinking about Jim most of all, the one would surely felt most guilty about this. She witnessed him looking around at everybody who stared at him. He wasn't able to handle the thought of everyone thinking about his failure. His eyes began to water, and soon he quickly ran off. He would surely want to be left alone for a long while.


End file.
